The Dokushinsha
by eixirt
Summary: narukure; naruharem 5 y/o, Naruto, was trained by a person who was entrusted by his father. W/ 3 powerful bloodlines, watch Naruto grow into a powerful shinobi. Pls. R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** "The Dokushinsha"  
**Pairing:** Naruto/Kurenai, Naruto/Harem  
**Author:** eixirt  
**Summary:** At the age of five, Uzumaki Naruto was taught by someone who's entrusted by his father, the late Yondaime. Secrets shall be revealed. Past shall be uncovered. With three powerful bloodlines, watch how Naruto will rise and gain the people's acknowledgement.

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**Chapter 1 **

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_**Nine years ago**_

_It was one sunny day in the Hidden Village of the Leaf. Most villagers are busy with their own businesses. It was perfect as the others say but to the one named Uzumaki Naruto…it was another part of the story…_

_In the middle of the forest a five plus years old blonde with a pair of cerulean eyes stood. If a stranger would see him he would - no scratch that- he will pity the young blonde. His body was bruised but for him it was okay other than the gash in his right arm. Little that he knew, his body was on the process of healing itself due to the __demon__ inside of him. But before the process was complete…_

"_Hey, uh… what are you doing here?" a feminine voice rang out._

_The young one looked at the spectator with ulterior shock in his face. He hurriedly ran through the forest but the spectator caught his damaged arm hard enough to stop the blonde from running away yet careful enough not to cause more damage to his injured arm. _

"_Will you stop that…? Look at you you're hurt!" The spectator yelled trying to calm the boy before her._

_As the result the boy did stop, he took his opportunity to glance at his spectator. The young one first saw was her eyes; they were red almost like 'ruby' and her wavy shoulder-length black hair. He even commented in his mind that it looked like silk because of the shine it gave whenever the sunlight passed it. He could only guess that this woman was out here to kill or hurt him. But another mental image of him said that he's safe here with her. _

_The woman sighed and kneeled before him. 'He must be the vessel?' She thought. She sighed once again and performed some healing jutsu and took a glance at the boy. From what she saw, the boy had an unexplainable look on his face. She cocked an eye brow that meant – What's wrong with you? – Kind of look._

_It only registered to the boy after a couple of seconds. "What are you doing?" He said._

"_Uh… I'm healing your wounds. What does it look like what I'm doing?" The teenager said. _

"_Why?"_

'_He's really making this difficult anyways…' "What do you mean 'why'? Do your __parents__ know what's __happening to you__!" She said in a caring but deadly tone. _

_This caught the young one off guard. "I-I uh… d-don't… ha-have any… p-pa-rents." The boy stuttered he was trying not to cry at the mere fact that he was all alone. Well, at least he tried not to cry. _

_She sighed once again, now before her was a boy trying to win a losing battle… was he really losing the battle? No, of course not! It's just the beginning! She knelt once again before the boy and hugged him trying to calm the boy from crying. _

"_It's okay… don't cry… I know this is difficult for you…" She released the boy from the hug and stood up. From her height the blonde was only at her leg level. "To tell you the truth, I really don't know how to cheer you up and to think that I don't even know your name." At her last statement she smiled at the small boy with a hint of a lie. _

"_Ano sa… ano sa… a-ari-arigato, nee-chan!" He gave her one of his famous fox like grin. After seeing this, she already knew that the boy was happy. At the moment he was happy and now he looks like a nervous ship wreck. "A-ano sa…" But before he could continue she already cut him off._

"_Ayeka, that's my name and as for my surname… it's good for you not to know, Uzumaki-san. Or do you prefer me to call you Naruto-kun?" Naruto at the moment was dumbstruck at Ayeka's statement it's like as if the said woman was reading him like a book. _

"_How did you knew what was I going to ask you?" Naruto said still awed at what had happened earlier._

"…" _Ayeka, on the other hand, didn't answer his question. She just used her right index finger to point out her right temple. Naruto, being Naruto, was on his thinking position until…_

"_YOU CAN READ MINDS!" He shouted._

_Ayeka just placed her hand to her face due to the humiliation Naruto had put her in. 'Geez, if someone saw us… I'll die courtesy of my own embarrassment!' She thought as they walked outside of the forest._

"_Naruto-kun, why won't you go home and rest? Because…" She paused, then, grinned. "…Starting tomorrow, I will personally train you." She said. _

"_YOU'RE THE GREATEST, NEE-CHAN!" She really thought that he'll be happy but she never thought he'd be this happy._

"_Do you mind, could you keep your voice down? Come back here tomorrow morning at 5 a.m." _

"_Hai"_

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_**Seven years ago**_

_In a little clearing inside the forest, two people stood there or more likely...training in the middle of the forest. It is a place where the ANBU doesn't look out on as a 'special' request from Sandaime's friend._

_On the said secluded training grounds…_

"_SHUKUCHI (1)" a boy age of seven shouted. And soon, numerous patterns of seem like tornadoes danced on different sides on his opponent, making the earth destroyed in the process. _

_Meanwhile the said opponent was smirking. Definitely not with arrogance but with pride, pride for her student._

"_Okay, that's enough for today." She said. "Today is your first day in the academy right?" She asked her student who was on the process fishing through his bag pack._

"_Hai, Ayeka-sensei" She smiled at the title he has been calling her for the past two years. Aside from genjutsu which where she specialized the most, she also taught Naruto ninjustu, taijutsu, and kenjustu as well. "I have enough time to rest before the classes start." He added._

"_That is good. Tell me Naruto-kun, did you enjoy being my student and I want an honest answer!" She asked; not looking at the blonde._

_Naruto just looked at his sensei as if she had forgotten her common sense at her house. "Why are you asking me this? You're not going away are you?"_

_Ayeka just sighed. "I'll tell you the truth… I'm going away for the mean time and I promise you I'll come back." With this statement, she slid off her necklace and gave it to her student. "Here, I'll come back for this." She said. _

"_I'll definitely gonna keep it safe and that's a promise!" He said with great enthusiasm. _

"_You never back down to your promises don't you, Naruto-kun?" Ayeka move closely so that she could be in eye level with the boy. _

_Naruto gulped. Ayeka was closing in to his… ear? "I want you to promise me that you'll only use those techniques if necessary, meaning, don't brag them off! Could you do that for me, Naruto-kun?" She moved away and saw that he was blushing she giggled at the thought and suddenly she shrugged it off._

"_Okay I can do that!" Naruto gave her one of his promising fox grin._

_Meanwhile inside the Hokage Tower…_

"_YOU WANT ME TO DO WHAT?" Hatake Kakashi almost shouted in front of the Hokage. It wasn't pretty normal to the ex-ANBU to be as surprised, or even, shocked like this. He didn't even see it coming. _

"_Kakashi… just think of it as returning a favor for your sensei…" Sandaime said._

"_But Hokage-sama, what does Sensei got to do with this?" Kakashi asked._

_Sarutobi sighed, at least he could tell him, his friend's student. "What I'm about to tell you will be kept only inside these walls… do you understand, Kakashi?" The old man said._

_Surely, enough Kakashi didn't know what was about to hit him. "Of course, Hokage-sama."_

"_Good" Sarutobi replied with slight smile. "Kakashi, I know you have participated with your sensei during the Kyuubi's attack." He saw the jounin nod. "And I know that you know that he sealed it in a new born baby, Naruto."_

"_Yes Hokage-sama, but… why does he (Naruto) have to live with me?" _

"_Let me finish, Kakashi." From there Kakashi didn't interrupt the old man. "You see, Kakashi, during that time it was impossible to find a new born baby. So, in turn your sensei sacrificed his new born son." The Old man waited for the elite jounin to react to the information he got._

"_Ho-hokage-sama, why didn't you tell me about this earlier? None of us knew that Sensei had relationship with someone and yet you're telling me that he has a son." Sarutobi only did was to sigh. "Can you do it, Kakashi?" The Hokage said in a formal tone and only to meet an expected answer._

"_Of course, Hokage-sama" _

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**In not so distant future**

"Naruto wake up!" Naruto's classmate said.

Umino Iruka, an academy teacher, rank chuunin, was starting to count mentally. _'One… two… three… that's it!' _He unconsciously grabbed the nearest thing he could throw… the eraser.

Kiba saw the incoming eraser, he tried to wake his friend but Naruto seemed to not to bother. Kiba moved away when the eraser was about to hit his blonde friend. Naruto, on the other hand, managed to catch the eraser and throw it back to the table instead. Everybody saw Naruto sitting straight, yawning, and still feeling groggy. Naruto saw Kiba with a surprised/shocked looked on his face.

"What happened to you?" Naruto asked still not noticing his other classmates and his dumbstruck teacher.

"Uzumaki Naruto" Iruka called.

Naruto looked at his sensei. "Please make at least three bushins, Naruto." Naruto stood up, cursing himself for sleeping in the middle of the test. He sighed and soon he was in front of the class.

"Bushin no jutsu (2)" He said soon there were at least twelve perfect bushin standing in front of the class. '_Damn I overdid it again'_

"Congratulations, you pass." He walked over to Iruka and Mizuki, who handed him his hitai-ate. Iruka knew that Naruto would do well for the fact that he was living with his friend, Kakashi, a.k.a. Copy Ninja Kakashi. "Okay that's it for today. Tomorrow you will be teamed up to your genin team. You're all dismissed."

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**At the Ichiraku's Ramen Stand…**

Four people were eating or chatting with each other. One of them was Hatake Kakashi; next to him was his fellow jounin, Sarutobi Asuma. Next to the chain smoker was the Tokubetsu (sp?) jounin, Mitarashi Anko, who was on the verge of strangling Asuma for smoking in the ramen stand. Next to the Tokubetsu jounin was Konoha's genjutsu specialist, Yuuhi Kurenai.

"I can't believe this! Can't you at least stop smoking for just five minutes?-!" Anko said.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Asuma said.

"And now you're acting like Kakashi!"

Kurenai only sighed at the scene. After all she was used to see her best friend act like this almost every time. While Kakashi, on the other hand, was looking away until… he saw a familiar young blonde coming to his way. "Konichiwa, Nii-san" This caught the attention of the other jounins and Tokubetsu jounin for Anko's case.

"Ah… Naruto-kun, what will be it for today?" The head chef asked.

"Miso ramen please..." Naruto replied as he sat next to Kakashi.

"…One miso ramen coming up!" The head chef said in an energetic tone.

"I heard that you passed the genin exam congratulations, Otouto." Kakashi said.

"Arigato, Nii-san" Naruto said with sheepish grin on his face while he scratched the back of his head.

"Are you excited to know who will be your team mates and jounin instructor, _Naru-kun_?" Kurenai asked with a smile emphasizing Naruto's nickname she was the only one who had called him that at least as far as he can remember. Unknown to him he let out a small blush on both cheeks; he bent his head and scratched the back his head once again which the women counted as _kawaii_. Kakashi knew his Otouto's crush towards his fellow jounin ever since he first saw her back when she was still a rookie chuunin.

After seeing this, Anko decided to tease the young blonde at the moment. She stood up and sat next to Naruto. Everybody in the ramen stand saw her stand including the head chef, Ichiraku Teuchi (Me: is this his real name?) and his daughter, Ichiraku Ayame. What were they about to see was beyond imaginable… as though they thought?

Naruto saw Anko stood and sat next to him. _Was she whispering something to me? Nah… can't be but why is she so close to me? I think she whispered something about congratulating me or something? Was she telling me to close my eyes? That must be it!_ There he was sitting next to the hot and sexy and still single (oh, did I forgot to mention _deadly__?)_, Mitarashi Anko. She was closing in and the only thing that Naruto knew; he was kissing – 'the' Mitarashi Anko!

'_WHAT THE HECK!' _(Kurenai and Ayame thought).

'_Pedophile…' _(Kakashi and Asuma thought)

'…' (Naruto)

'_Hmm… tasty' _(Anko thought with a smirk)

'_Lucky guy' _(Bystanders)

"You know? It's very rude to stare, Naruto-kun." Anko said still with a grin.

Naruto was still speechless or rather he blacked out. Kakashi started to worry for his Otouto, who hadn't replied for a couple of seconds. "Oi Naruto, are you alright?" Kakashi started to shake his little brother. After five seconds Naruto nodded.

Naruto changed his direction to his miso ramen and started to chow it in just two minutes. Everybody looked at him as if this came from the kiss _but rest assured that wasn't his first kiss_. He took out his Gama-chan and paid his meal miraculously he only ate a single bowl.

"ThankyouforthemealI'mgoingnowjane!" He said without a pause. After his meal, he ran away back to his apartment.

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**At Naruto's apartment…**

Naruto slumped back to his bed. Waiting for Mr. Slumber to pass by.

"Tomorrow I'll be in a genin team." He said to no one in particular.

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**A/N:  
**I hope you like it and please don't forget to review…

**Next Chapter Feature/s:  
**Team 8's **first meeting.  
**Introductions **with team 8.  
The Genin Exam  
**Celebration **at Ichiraku's…  
Little meeting **at the park with fluffiness.  
The Superior's and the Subordinate's **dinner date **with harem.

**Disclaimer:** It's not mine! And besides, I shouldn't be writing this aren't I?


	2. Chapter 2

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

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**Chapter 2**

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**First meetings**

_The night was still dominant. From this darkness, a lone figure walked across a path. The said figure was walking, then, stopped… In front of him was a woman in her early twenties as he thought. He was facing her back from there he could see her messy shoulder-length black hair; she was wearing a purple yukata. The said figure watched the woman. She slowly turned. He saw the sight of her enticing ruby eyes, and once again, she stopped only to reveal a part of her face. Naruto, on the other hand, couldn't register who the woman was…_

"_Naruto" He heard her say._

"…" _He couldn't muster a single word from his mouth._

"_Naruto"_

"…" _He couldn't reply once again._

"_Naruto"_

"…" _Again_

"Naruto"

"…" _Again_

"Naruto!"

"Wha-what's going on?" Naruto looked around only to find his friend Kiba staring at him. "Kiba, what the heck are you doing?" He asked.

"Naruto, must you sleep all the time I see you?" Kiba asked.

"What is it to you anyway?" Naruto asked.

"What do you mean 'what is it to me'? Care to notice, our team is still waiting for our sensei just like _them_." Kiba said pointing out to Team 7 which includes Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Aburame Shino.

"So what team number are we again?" Naruto asked looking innocent as possible.

Kiba sighed. He had the urge to whack his friend off his senses while Hinata just giggled. The said dog-user just focused himself to reply.

"We are Team 8, Hinata is also in our team, and do the things that I recently told you register to your mind?" Kiba said slowly.

Naruto chuckled at his friend. "So how long have _they_ been waiting for their sensei?" He asked.

"Two hours… wait; did you just say _'they'_? We, too, have been waiting for our sensei!" Kiba replied while his pet dog, Akamaru, barked in agreement.

Naruto chuckled once again. Kiba and Hinata looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. They watched him form a tiger seal and said; "Kai" and soon a blur from the wall came.

"I take it you're Team 8." A woman, probably around twenty years of age, appeared right when Naruto dispelled a genjutsu casted inside the room.

Team 8, rather Kiba and Hinata, looked at their Jounin Sensei with surprised looks in their faces. Meanwhile, everyone's eyes averted to the door which was starting to open and soon there was a tall, silver-haired, half-masked, male Jounin.

"Where's Team 7?" He asked.

"YOU'RE LATE" the pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura yelled. Naruto only sighed. _'They better get used to him being late.'_

"Sorry I was late you see… I got lost to the road of life." Kakashi replied.

"LIAR" Sakura yelled once again.

Naruto chuckled… then he started to laugh, hysterically. Kurenai being the calm and collected as she is, she too couldn't help but to laugh with Naruto. "Honestly Nii-chan, is there really a road called the road of life?" Naruto asked with a grin on his face.

"Fine… fine… team7, let's just go to the rooftop." With that statement, he disappeared with a whirl of leaves.

"Shall we go then?" Kurenai asked her students; who readily nodded their heads.

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**With Team 8**

They reached outside of the academy with their hitai-ates on. Hinata wore her hitai-ate like a necklace while Kiba wore his on his forehead and Naruto, his was different he tied it on his left arm, making some of his bangs fall down. Kurenai looked at her students from Kiba to Hinata and then to Naruto.

The said woman was leaning against a tree. She watched her first students with a sigh. Not knowing why, she felt nervous over something.

As if sensing Kurenai's distress, Naruto asked. "Sensei, aren't we suppose to introduce each other?"

Kurenai smiled inwardly at this. "Okay, state your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and your dream." She said.

"Ladies first" Naruto said with a grin.

"Okay I'll start, my name is Yuuhi Kurenai. I like karaoke, comic books, and nice people. I also like to study various genjutsus known in the shinobi world. I dislike arrogant people who look down on others. I also dislike perverts. My hobby aside from reading comic books and cook books is painting. My dream for now is to make sure that the three of you will be promoted into a Chuunin rank." She said in a calm tone.

Kiba and Naruto looked at their female team mate who was in the process of looking at the ground and fidgeting both of her index fingers. "My name is… Hyuuga Hinata… I like nice people." She blushed at her train of thoughts that include a certain blonde. "I dislike… people who look down on weak people. My hobby is cooking. My dream is to… make a difference in my clan." She looked down once again.

'_This one needs to boost up her confidence…' _thought Kurenai.

Everybody looked at Hinata, they were caught up with the silence but Kiba broke it up.

"Yo! The name's Inuzuka Kiba. I like my pet and best friend, Akamaru, I also like our team and to train. I dislike Sasuke's annoying fan-girls! My hobbies are to hang-out with my friends and to play with Akamaru. My dream is to become my clan's leader someday." He said and nudged Naruto's side that indicated his turn.

'_While this one…,'_ referring to Kiba. _'…he needs to lessen his self-confidence…'_ Kurenai stopped with her thoughts when Naruto was about to speak.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like my Nii-chan, Sandaime-jiji, and Aye-… (He stopped for a moment and continued) …nice people, who acknowledge me for who I am. I like ramen and I also like to train. I dislike the long wait for my ramen to be cooked be it just minutes or seconds I still dislike it. I also dislike arrogant people who look down on others as if they are weak. My hobby is to enjoy every ramen known to man! My dream is to become a Hokage and to surpass every one of them." He said.

Kurenai looked at her students once again and smiled. "Tomorrow, meet me at training ground number 19. 9 a.m. sharp."

"Um, Sensei, what's the occasion?" Kiba asked.

Kurenai smiled again; her smile for now will be mistaken as a grin. "Let's just say… tomorrow is the 'real' genin exam." She said.

"WHAT?-!" Kiba said almost shouted, hyperventilating.

Hinata was trying not to faint.

Naruto looked rather plain as if he had expected this. After all he had lived with Kakashi who always taught him _'a handful of things'_.

"Tomorrow at training ground 19. 9 a.m. sharp. You're all dismissed." Kurenai said but before Naruto could go, she called him right away. "Naruto" She called.

"Yes, Sensei?" He walked next to her.

"I was quite impressed that you've detected my genjutsu a while ago. Not even Kiba with his dog or Hinata with her Byakugan had sensed me. You've passed an unofficial test." She said.

Naruto couldn't help but to blush at her praise. He was, once again, on his sheepish grin and scratching the back of his head just like yesterday at Ichiraku's.

Kurenai looked at him and giggled audible enough for him to hear. Naruto immediately looked up and saw her rather amusing look on her face. It's not like you get to see 'the' Yuuhi Kurenai, once called 'the ice queen' for her deadly demeanor, known for being calm and collected at all times, giggle around. And today was one of Naruto's lucky days. He was able to see the real Kurenai, the one he adored so much. He started to like her because of her wine-red eyes, somewhat making him entranced. It made him feel something he couldn't even explain.

"Gomen ne, _Naru-kun_" He heard her say.

"Iie, Kurenai-sensei…" Naruto said waving his hands in defense.

"I was wondering, did Kakashi teach you how to detect genjutsus?" Kurenai asked the young blonde beside her.

"Iie, he didn't teach me how to detect it." He replied.

"Then how did you detect through my genjutsu?" She asked quite surprised.

'_How can someone beat my genjutsu so easily.'_

"It's kind of weird actually…" Kurenai raised her eyebrow. "…Well you see, when everyone left except team 7 and our team, I saw something blurry and the rest I guess you know what happened." He said. "A-ano, am I dismissed now?" He asked in unnatural low tone.

"Of course, you may go now." Kurenai said. She stood there watching her student's retreating back.

'_I saw something blurry and the rest I guess you know what happened.'_ It rang through her mind again, looking deep in thought.

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**The Genin Exam**

Training ground number 19 was something Kiba would say 'comfortable'. There was a clearing in the middle, obviously for training or sparring purposes, while it was surrounded by several trees since they were almost at the edge of the forest. From their spot, they could see a waterfall that was connected with a lake. Surely enough this was 'comfortable'.

Three genins sat on a log while waiting for their sensei. "You think she's just hiding in her genjutsu again?" Kiba asked.

Naruto shook his head this time. "We're just early you see." He said showing Kiba the time that said 8:57 a.m.

"I guess when she says 9 o'clock sharp she meant 9 o'clock sharp." Kiba said while Akamaru barked in agreement on Hinata's lap.

When the clock stroke 9 o'clock, a kunai came darting in which Naruto caught with ease. "I see that you're all early, that's good." A female voice rang. Team 8 looked at their sensei, who was walking towards a tree stump and placed an alarm clock which was set on 12 o'clock noon.

"As you can see… I have two bells here with me…" Kurenai said as she held out two dangling bells, she tied it at her waist-pocket and continued. "…Each bell is meant for one and only one genin…" Before she could continue Kiba cut her off.

"But Kurenai-sensei, there are only two bells." He said.

"That means one of you will have to go back being an academy student again." Kurenai replied to her currently paled students. "Get these bells to me with an intent to kill. Get this to me before your time run out." With her last word, Team 8 was nowhere to be seen.

Near up to the trees, three genins were hiding from their sensei. "Any plans?" The boy with a fury jacket spoke.

"Okay listen up here's the plan…" The blonde boy said.

Once they were finished, the boy with a fury coat jumped down. Looking ever so confident, Kiba stood 10 meters away from Kurenai along with his dog, Akamaru who was in his jacket.

"Do you happen to know what YOU are doing?" Kurenai asked.

Kiba, acting so cocky, placed his dog Akamaru on the ground. "Me and Akamaru we'll take you on!" He pointed towards Kurenai direction.

Kurenai could only sigh at this. _'There goes my first test. Wait! Where are the other two?'_ Kurenai pondered. She saw Akamaru turned into an exact replica of Kiba while the real Kiba shouted. "Gatsuuga!"

Kurenai quickly sidestepped away. She cursed herself at how the Inuzuka's were quite good whenever they fight with their dogs. Kurenai quickly jumped when the real Kiba charged at her way. But her luck was not on this day.

In mid air, Kurenai was still struggling with both Kiba's and Akamaru's attacks. She tried to turn, but, she only came face to face with a white blur. Kurenai felt some of her tenketsus were being closed, causing her unable to move in mid air. She could see herself falling and her opponents gone at least that's what she thought until she heard someone shouted. "Suirou no Jutsu" Soon she was inside of a bubble-like prison breaking her fall. Kurenai looked at her jailer, Naruto; who was being accompanied by Kiba; who was placing Akamaru in his jacket, and Hinata; who was holding the bells. Naruto released his hold and Kurenai was free.

She looked at them and sighed. "You three… pass." She said which earned a few cheers from the 'official' Team 8. "Naruto" she called out.

"Yes, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Were you the one who thought of the strategy a while ago?" She asked which was followed by a nod. "I see… you'll be the team captain you earned it." She said.

"…" Naruto was speechless. It was like the ramen suddenly spoke and said "take me". It took him 3 seconds to come back to reality due to Kiba's constant poking.

"Huh?" Naruto said.

Kiba sighed while Kurenai and Hinata giggled. "Were going to Ichiraku's to celebrate, you're not just going to stand there are you?" Kiba said.

"OF COURSE NOT!" Naruto was back within a nanosecond. The moment he heard 'Ichiraku's' which lead to ramen and more ramen, he hurriedly ran at Kurenai's side. "A-ano Kurenai-sensei…" Naruto couldn't finish his sentence but instead he took out Kurenai's kunai to give it back to her.

"Oh! You can keep it." She said.

"A-arigato." Naruto smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

Hinata was looking at Naruto then to her Sensei. There was something different between the two that she couldn't put her finger on it. She never saw Kurenai-sensei act like this whenever she ran into her. To her, Kurenai-sensei was cool, calm, well-collected, always serious, and sometimes noxious whenever it calls for it. Then her thoughts turn to Naruto. Well to her, Naruto was her idol being the loudmouth and carefree as he is. Truth be told, he was still her idol. His bright colors made her feel the things, to her, that was unattainable.

"Um… Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto asked as he waved his hand in front of her face.

Hinata was so deep in thought, she didn't even noticed Naruto's face in front of her saying something to her; she immediately blushed after seeing him in front and close to her.

"Hinata, are you okay? You look kind of red…" Naruto said as he gently placed his palm to her forehead which made her more flustered and next to her was history. Hinata fainted but thankfully Kiba was there to catch her fall.

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**At Ichiraku's…**

Currently, Ichiraku's was jammed packed by Team 7 which consists of Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, and Aburame Shino. They, too, passed their test much to Kakashi's dismay since there were rumors that Kakashi always fails his genin team. And there was Team 10 which consists of Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji.

Kakashi was about to turn the page of his 'orange' book when suddenly he winced, loosing his concentration in reading, he turned to see his student, Sakura, fighting Asuma's student, Ino. It was something about who should sit next to their precious Sasuke-kun.

Asuma was about to light his fourth stick but when he saw a familiar kunoichi enter the restaurant, he immediately put it away. He didn't want to remember the things Anko did to him and his precious cancer sticks. He immediately winced in the memory.

"You're not looking for my brother, are you, Anko-chan?" Kakashi asked with a chuckle.

"What if I am, what are you gonna do about it, Kakashi-KUN?" Anko said with a sly smirk on her face.

"…" Kakashi hadn't got any time to answer when the door suddenly slid open, revealing… team 8.

Asuma was about to say something but when he saw Anko's eyes lit as if they were blazing. He immediately shut his mouth.

"Hey Naruto-kun, we were just talking about you." Anko said, walking in front of the blonde.

Everybody was looking at their direction while the ones that didn't know what happened yesterday were curious like -- _'How did Naruto knew her?'_ -- Something like that while the others looked frantic until…

"Hey Naruto-kun, what will be it for today?" Ayame said audible enough for everyone to hear.

Kakashi and Asuma sighed in relief. They could swear that Anko's fist was growing white in pressure.

"One miso and beef ramen for me!" Naruto said with his cheerful voice.

"How about you miss?" Ayame looked at the woman next to Naruto.

"One beef ramen with extra chili" Anko said.

"And you three?" Ayame asked looking at Kurenai and the rest of team 8.

"Miso ramen" Kurenai said.

"M-miso ramen please" Hinata said, almost like a whisper.

"Beef ramen with extra filling and two beef rolls for Akamaru" Kiba said.

"I'll just place your orders for the meantime."

"I take it that they passed." Asuma said which earn him a nod.

"So did my brother beat you to a pulp, eh Kurenai?" Kakashi teased the red-eyed brunette.

Kurenai only glared at him. "Nii-chan" Naruto said giving his Aniki a warning.

But before they could continue, their meals came. "Here are your orders." Ayame said with a smile.

"Yosh! Itadakimasu!" Naruto shouted with glee. And soon he ate his meal slowly, taking his time to taste the different ingredients of his precious ramen, just like Ayeka had taught him.

'_Take your time it's not like it will run away from you. Besides, a shinobi always takes his time.' Ayeka said._

Naruto smiled on the memory as he munched on the noodles.

"Hey Chouji, when you eat your food do you smile like that?" Kiba asked pointing at Naruto.

"…"

"Guess not" Kiba said. He was still looking at Naruto, who was smiling after he finished his miso ramen. By the time he ate his beef ramen, his smile fade away.

"Maybe it's the food or something… I usually got that expression whenever I like or don't like the food being served to me." Chouji whispered to Kiba.

"That was delicious, Old man." Naruto said as he patted his full stomach.

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**Little Meeting**

Once Team 8 was done eating, they left the ramen house for a little meeting. Late noon, they were currently at the park. Kurenai was standing in front of them while Hinata sat on the left side of the swing and Kiba was on the right. Naruto, on the other hand, was leaning on the left side of the swing.

"Our daily meeting will always be at 10 o'clock in the morning at training ground number 19. Is there any question or questions you would like to ask?" She asked her students, when none came, she said. "Good, you're all dismissed."

Kurenai saw Kiba and Hinata leave but Naruto was still there, still leaning on the left side of the swing. "What are you still doing here, Naruto-kun?" She asked.

"I uh… got nothing else to do." He said looking somewhere else. He suddenly felt Kurenai's presence. Slowly, she walked to where Hinata used to sit.

"Push me" Naruto heard Kurenai say.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at her for a second.

"I gave you an order, Uzumaki Naruto… now, do it…" Kurenai said in a commanding tone.

"H-hai" Naruto started to push the chains that were connected to the board she was sitting in. He could hear her giggle every time her back was close to him, close enough to smell her hair. He even commented that it smelled like 'strawberries' that matched her eyes. _'Maybe she really likes red.'_ He thought as he pushed the chains again.

Kurenai never felt this emotion before. Surely it was something new that she didn't pick up in the sidewalks. She could even smell his scent every time she was close to him. It was something different. It was like it was made for him and him alone. It was somewhat strong but it was making her taste buds tell her it was sweet. On her 5th swing, Kurenai stopped.

Naruto saw Kurenai stopped herself and then looked at him. "Your next order is to ride the swing with me." He heard her say while he just mocked a salute to his superior.

And soon, they started to swing. Both of their feet were like trying to reach to skies above. Both were smiling, happy, and contented. Every time they swing forward, they could feel the air around them which was starting to get slightly cold. They could see the sunset from their position.

"On three, we jump at the same time. The longer the jump is considered to be the winner and the other is the loser." Kurenai said.

"Okay the loser will have to 'cook' dinner for the winner. Deal?" Naruto said.

"Deal." Kurenai said in response.

"On three!" Naruto and Kurenai said in chorus.

"One" (Naruto)

"Two" (Kurenai)

"Three" (Naruto & Kurenai)

Time seemed to slow back when they jumped. "Ha-ha… looked like I won…" Naruto said but he suddenly stopped when he found out his _'very intimidating position'._ Him on top of Kurenai –- _'the'_ Yuuhi Kurenai! He quickly moved away. "Gomenasai!" He looked down from where he sat with flushed cheeks.

Kurenai found herself blushing as well. She was lucky enough that Naruto's head was down so that he couldn't see her blushing as well. "Looked like you did won, Naruto-kun…" She stood up from the sand. "I guess I'll have to cook dinner for you." She said as she brushed away some dirt from her uniform.

"A-ano… which house we'll be in?" Naruto asked.

"Mine" Kurenai said.

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**Dinner Date**

From where Naruto sat, the living room was almost the size of his apartment minus the bathroom and the kitchen. He looked at the walls; he could see some paintings hanged. He looked around, following his feet wherever they lead him to, he stopped to look at some pictures on a table. He saw some of Kurenai's pictures.

One picture caught his eye; it was a single photo of Kurenai. She was wearing a purple yukata with a pink ribbon that tied around her waist. She wasn't wearing her hitai-ate. Her hair was tied in a purple ribbon. He held the picture closely to his eyes so he could see more. As clear as the sun, Kurenai was standing behind a cherry blossom tree, smiling.

'_She… she kinda looks like the woman in my dream… she can't be?'_ Naruto thought as he continued to gaze upon the picture before him.

"That picture was taken during a festival." A voice suddenly rang from behind.

Naruto quickly placed the frame back on the table and saw Kurenai still standing at the doorway with two meals on both of her hands. He promptly walked back to the couch where Kurenai was now sitting.

Kurenai was about to say 'dig in' when somebody 'poofed' in the living room.

'_Shit'_ Naruto thought.

When the smoke was gone; it revealed two people namely, Mitarashi Anko and Uzuki Yuugao.

"Were we interrupting something?" Anko asked more like teased while Yuugao was looking at Naruto.

"No you're not. We were just going to have dinner when you two 'poofed' in." Kurenai said, flatly.

"So… we '_did'_ interrupt something." Anko said not really listening.

"Kurenai-chan, who's he?" Yuugao interrupted.

"He's my student. He's name is Uzumaki Naruto."

"Oh…" Yuugao had already heard this Uzumaki Naruto from some fellow ANBU. She remembered how Jiro, her fellow ANBU colleague, got hit by a Raiton Jutsu that was transmitted by this familiar blonde when she happens to be passing by the Hokage's office.

"What are you girls doing here?" Kurenai asked.

"We just thought we could come and give you a visit." Yuugao said.

"Why, you're planning to do something to Naruto-kun aren't you, Kurenai-chan?" Anko said, eyeing her best friend.

"What? That is so not you, Kurenai-chan, that is are you?" Yuugao said acting like she was in panic.

Kurenai was red. Red from anger, embarrassment, and you could probably guess that she's also blushing. Even Naruto found himself in a very intimidating situation, him in the middle of three women and considered to be one of the beautiful and deadliest kunoichis in Konoha.

"A-ano Kurenai-sensei, I'll just go to the kitchen and eat there, I'll leave you with your guests." Naruto said but before he could even stand a hand stopped him. He looked at the owner of 'the hand' which came from 'the' Mitarashi Anko.

"Nonsense you can stay here. I doubt that Kurenai-chan here would want you to go, after all you're already here." Anko gave him one of her maniacal grin that caused Naruto to gulp down something inside of his throat.

'_Hmm… he's kind of interesting for a kid but still ah… who cares?'_ Yuugao thought.

Naruto started to eat his food. He didn't even notice the stares being given to him by both purple-haired kunoichis while Kurenai was eating and glancing at Naruto then to Anko and Yuugao. Kurenai just simply sighed when she finished eating while Naruto willingly did the dishes.

As he washed the dishes, three pairs of eyes were watching at him or rather his back. He just simply left both plates on the rank at his left. By the time he turned around he saw three women looking at him. He cocked an eyebrow and said.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"No nothing's wrong." Anko and Yuugao said in chorus who's both cheeks were pink.

Kurenai was stopping herself not to laugh or anything. She never saw Anko (who's always playing on some guy) or Yuugao (who's always hard to get a date on since she's an ANBU) became embarrassed by some guy at their age group but by some 14 years old kid this was really hard not to laugh on.

"The meal was delicious, Sensei." Naruto said, being polite and all, he bowed in front of her as courtesy which of course taught by Ayeka.

Kurenai saw him bow at her. Nobody has ever done that to her not even Asuma or Kakashi. Her train of thoughts flashed fast to prove her theory but when she found that there was really no living male has or have bowed at her, Her theory was proven correct. She didn't even realize that she let out a small blush but it quickly faded away.

"It's getting late, Naruto-kun. You better head home now." Kurenai said.

"Thank you for the meal, Sensei." With his last statement, he went to the door and waved his goodbye.

"I guess I'll go now. I have to go patrol around the village." Anko said.

"Yeah me too, I have duties as well." Yuugao said, following Anko from behind.

"See ya" Anko said as she waved her hand.

"It was nice seeing you and 'ahem' you're student, Kurenai-chan." Yuugao said with a wink and soon she 'poofed' away.

Kurenai was walking to her bedroom thinking about what had happened during her day. She had already changed into her pajamas. Still thinking about her day, she gently lay on her bed. With a heavy sigh, she sat up.

'_It was just a day come one go to sleep already!'_

'_**Admit it Kurenai, you enjoyed it!' **__Inner Kurenai said, with her rare appearance Kurenai didn't even know she had one, inner self._

'_Admit what? I don't even know what you're talking about.'_

'_**Oww… come on you love his scent you even said that…'**__ Before Inner Kurenai could continue Kurenai already beat her up to it._

'_Stop it! Let me sleep!' Kurenai was now struggling from her own self._

'_**Admit it first!'**_

'_Fine, I enjoyed what happened today and I love his scent, happy now? I can't believe I'm talking to myself.'_

'_**HA… I bet you even enjoyed his touch when he was on top of you… hahaha…'**_

'…'

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**A/N:  
**Well that was my first long chapter ever. I'm so sorry about the long wait and thanks again for the awesome reviews. You guys rock! Hopefully, I will get the next chapter done as fast as I can, promise!

**Next Chapter Feature/s:  
****Hinata**'s family's thoughts.  
**Kiba**'s family's thoughts.  
**Naruto**'s egg?  
**Team Kurenai**'s late sensei.  
Team 8's first 'interesting' **mission.  
**Disturbing **mission report.**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt  
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**Chapter 3**  
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**  
Hinata**

Hyuuga Hinata woke up early as always, gazing up to the white walls she was accustomed to. Her room had been white as far as she can remember. Not even a single bright color can be seen in her room except white, though. Noticing the clock on her desk, it clearly stated: 8:00 AM. She remembered the _little meeting _they had yesterday. From there, she decided to head towards the bathroom for a shower.

After a couple of minutes, Hinata went to the kitchen for a little breakfast. There, she saw her Father who was about to turn a page from his newspaper. She also saw her little sister Hanabi and her cousin Neji. Hinata greeted them 'good morning' and proceeded to take her breakfast. She noted that she still has a plenty of time before going to the said training ground.

There was the usual awkward silence once again in the Hyuuga's. "Gai-sensei, told us that your team passed yesterday, Hinata-sama, congratulations." Neji said breaking the silence.

Hyuuga Hiashi, the Hyuuga clan leader, was listening to Neji's words. He pretended not to as he turned another page of his newspaper. "That's good to hear. I don't expect you had the big role in this test." Hiashi said still looking at his newspaper.

Hinata was looking down again, she had expected this.

"How did you and you're team passed Kurenai-san's test, Hinata-sama?" Neji asked changing the topic.

Hinata started to tell how team 8 passed. She started with the detail that Naruto was the one who thought of the strategy. With this information, Hiashi started to listen attentively, pretending once again that this wasn't in his interest. Hinata stated that her teammate, Kiba started the first attack and then she stated that she closed Kurenai's tenketsus as the second attack. Neji smiled at this. Then, Hinata started to tell about what Naruto did. Surely enough this caught everybody's attention.

'_He used a Mist jutsu.' _(Hiashi)

'_He will be a worthy opponent... worthy indeed.'_ (Neji)

'_He's quite strong and smart for his age… hmm… interesting… that Naruto… hmm… very interesting.' _(Hanabi)

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**Kiba**

Meanwhile at the Inuzuka household, Inuzuka Kiba was about to open his eyes and then proceeded to sleep again until… Akamaru came and started to wake his master with his continuous licking on Kiba's face. He immediately woke up and proceeded to the bathroom for a shower. By the time he was done, he took some clothes from his dresser and noted that it was only 8:30 AM in the morning. He sighed and took Akamaru in his fury jacket as always. He headed downstairs only to meet a wondrous aroma coming from the kitchen.

When he was about to enter, he got bumped by his sister, Inuzuka Hana. "Watch where you're going, Runt." She said as she too was entering the kitchen.

Kiba was about to give a retort but his stomach beat him up to it. He just shrugged the idea of her sister eating breakfast with him, completely ignoring her in the process.

"Are you going out today, Kiba-kun?" Kiba's mother asked.

"Hai" He said.

"So, you actually passed your jounin instructor's test?" Hana said almost disbelieving.

"Actually we did!" Kiba shot back.

Kiba's mother only sighed, she was about to witness another verbal battle between her daughter and son.

"I bet you had the little role during your test, eh Runt?" Hana said teasing her little brother.

Kiba was growing red in anger until his mother broke the upcoming retort. "Care to tell us how you and you're team passed, Kiba-kun?" Kiba's mother said loud enough for them to hear.

Kiba narrated what had happened yesterday. He started to tell that Naruto was the one who thought of the plan. Everybody chuckled when he said that he boasted off telling that he can take on Kurenai.

Then, he was suddenly interrupted by his sister. "Ha! I knew you were only a distraction." Hana said.

Kiba's eyebrow twitched while his hand or rather his fist started to crumble like mad. Kiba's mother just sighed and said: "What happened next, Kiba-kun?" She said, changing the topic once again.

"As I was saying…" He started again, giving them the detail that Hinata closed Kurenai's tenketsus and the next was left to Naruto. "Naruto used this Suiton jutsu to catch Kurenai-sensei… it was um… Su… Sui…" Kiba was thinking of the jutsu Naruto used to catch Kurenai.

"Suirou no jutsu" Kiba's mother finished his sentence. "Yeah! That's the jutsu!" Kiba said as he ate his breakfast. Unknown to him two people were left thinking about the sudden information they've received.

'_Suirou no jutsu… quite advanced for his age.' _(Tsume)

'_Hmm… I wonder if he could do more… interesting… maybe I could go and take a little visit.'_ (Hana)

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**Naruto**

Meanwhile at Naruto's apartment, Naruto clad in his usual clothing… his orange jumpsuit. He started to prepare breakfast. After making two sunny side-up eggs, two bowls of heated ramen, and a big bowl of rice, he placed the food on the table until…

"Food…" Kakashi entered the apartment like a starved man with droopy eyes. He went straight to the kitchen were Naruto was.

Naruto sighed as he saw his Aniki who had a droopy face, then suddenly, turned to an amusing look. Naruto hated that look, whenever he saw that look on Kakashi's face in meant trouble for Naruto. He could see his smirk under his face mask as if the said thing wasn't there.

They both sat opposite to one another. They've been like this when Kakashi found out that Naruto can cook. He even asked his Otouto where did he learn it, though, Naruto just always changes the topic.

"I was on patrol last night…" Kakashi started.

"Oh" Naruto said, looking at his ramen.

"Aren't you going to ask me '_where'_?" Kakashi said, smirking under his facemask.

At this point, Naruto dropped his chopsticks. He immediately picked it up and said: "Huh?"

"I was patrolling near '_the park'_ last night and then I saw something '_quite interesting'_…" Kakashi said with a chuckle.

Naruto gulped. "Really… what did… you see, Nii-chan?" Naruto asked.

But before Kakashi could answer, somebody knocked at the door.

Anko was there waiting after she knocked at Naruto's door. Naruto quickly ran to the door, thanking the Gods for the sudden pop up. By the time he answered the door, he was greeted by a purple-haired kunoichi, Mitarashi Anko.

"What can I do for you, Anko-san?" He asked.

Anko just grinned and let herself in. "Oh I was just near the neighborhood and I just thought I drop by and give you a visit." She said looking everywhere in his apartment. She noticed Kakashi at the kitchen and the food at the table. She helped herself with a bowl of rice and one serving of Naruto's sunny side-up egg.

'_There goes my egg.'_ Naruto thought with a sigh. He just helped himself with his trusty ramen. Once he was done eating, he told Kakashi that he was going to meet his teammates about something that he didn't know and with that statement he left his apartment.

Anko stood and proceeded to clean the dishes she used, leaving a dumbfounded Kakashi. "What?" She asked.

"You clean dishes?" He said.

"I do live on my own, don't I?" She said sarcastically and went straight to the door.

Kakashi was left staring at the closed door, leaving his egg untouched yet. When he was done, he slowly went to clean the dishes and muttered something about crazy women and proceeded to do his jounin duties.

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**Team Kurenai**

It was 9:45 AM at the moment. Naruto walked to Team 8's training ground. He noticed someone was already there. He saw Hinata with someone that looked like her only that someone was rather small and has a long black hair similar to Hinata's father. _'She must be Hinata-chan's sister or something.'_ He thought. He walked up to them and greeted them which in turn they greeted back.

"How long have you been here, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, sitting next to her.

"I've been here with my sister for just a couple of minutes." She said more like a whisper.

Hanabi was listening to their little conversation. She couldn't help but to feel a little out of place and a little mad because of the way they act as if she wasn't there.

"I see…" Naruto took a glance on Hanabi and said: "Hi, the name's Uzumaki Naruto, what's yours?" He said offering his hand.

Hanabi looked at him and at his hand and then at him and then at his hand again and shook Naruto's hand. "Hyuuga Hanabi, Hinata's younger sister." She said, letting go of his hand. She even commented in her head that his hand was rough yet warm. _'It's probably due to constant training.'_ Hanabi thought.

They waited for Kiba and his dog. After ten minutes, Kiba was there with someone in tow as well. Naruto and Hinata swear they saw Kiba's eyebrow twitched several times when he walked to them. "Good morning." Kiba said which in turn earn him a few good mornings as well.

They looked at the woman behind Kiba. She had the same markings on the face just like Kiba. Kiba noticed their staring at his sister and decided to introduce her to his teammates much to her sister's delight.

_**One hour ago**_

"_Why do you have to go with me? Don't you have anywhere to go?" Kiba asked annoyingly._

"_What is so wrong if I go there with you?" Hana said._

"_You'll just distract me!" Kiba shouted._

"_Yea… yea… dream on, Kiba." _As if.

**Present time**

It was soon close to 10 o'clock. Team 8 was waiting quietly for their jounin instructor just like yesterday. When their clock stroke 10 they heard a 'poof' only to reveal a grinning Mitarashi Anko. "What?" She asked. Team 8 just sighed. They thought it was their sensei.

As simple as counting one two three, their sensei was late. Late as in, 30 minutes late. When Kurenai came, she was clad in her jounin uniform, and still droopy. She had the surprised look when she saw the new additions namely, Anko, Hana with her dog, and Hanabi.

"Slept late, Kurenai?" Anko said as she gave a pat on Kurenai's back. "Wonder why?" Anko added while she rubbed her chin acting like she was deep in thought.

"…" Kurenai didn't answer. She remembered herself battling against her inner self and was now… blushing. She kept her head low so nobody could see her flushed cheeks.

Anko was looking at Kurenai. She started to giggle that turned to a hysterical laugh.

"Stop it Anko-chan, team 8 let's just go and take our first mission." Kurenai left followed by Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba with Akamaru. Anko stopped laughing when Kurenai left along with her team while Hana was wondering what's up with Kurenai. Hanabi, on the other hand, was left once again. She just helped herself back to the Hyuuga Compound.

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**Mission**

Currently, the Administration's Office AKA the Hokage's Office was quiet… damned quiet in the workers' opinion. In the middle of the room was an old man. Preferably, all ninjas looked up to this old man AKA the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha. The Sandaime was with a chuunin named Umino Iruka. They were currently fixing some load of paper works and mission reports. They heard a knock on the door and immediately the Hokage said: "Come in" Soon there was an orange flash came barging in followed by the rest of team 8 with their jounin instructor.

"Hey Sandaime-jiji, we want our first mission and make it interesting." Naruto said with great enthusiasm in his tone.

"Interesting mission, huh?" Sandaime said with a chuckle. "Okay" He added as he went through some mission scrolls. When he found one D-ranked mission he gave it to Kurenai. "You should take your leave soon that mission is rather long to finish. It might take you a week or two." Sandaime said as he gave a 'wink' on his statement while Kurenai noticed the Sandaime's wink. She immediately excused her team to do their 'interesting' mission just like what the Sandaime said.

"Ne… ne… Sensei, what does it say? Do we get to save someone, stop an assassination attempt, or stop some rogue bandits? What is it, Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Nope" She replied. "Just follow me." She added which all three genins just complied.

Shortly, they were in front of a house. It wasn't big neither it wasn't small either. It has a fence in the front that serves as the front gate. It also has a garden in the front of the house to give a little decoration. When the said 'old man' saw the hired ninjas, he greeted them promptly. Immediately, the 'old man' separated the three genins.

He pulled Naruto first and led him in front of the fence opposite a garden and gave him a bucket of white paint and a brush. "It's all in the wrist." The old man said.

Naruto just looked at the brush in his right hand and at the bucket with a blank look. He was muttering something about stupid 'old geezer' at this point a certain 'old geezer' sneezed in front of his paper work causing his signature to get smudged.

While Naruto was still looking at the brush at his hand and the bucket of white paint, both girls namely Kurenai and Hinata were led to a garden, obviously to do some gardening, weeding, and more weeding. Kurenai was thankful that Hinata used her Byakugan to make the job easier. With a 360° range of sight, their job was fairly easy enough.

The old man was now leading Kiba with his dog inside his house to do some 'polishing'. It only registered to Kiba when he was pushed semi-dragged inside the living room. From there, he saw the amount of things he was about to polish.

Meanwhile with Naruto, he had a big white paint in front of his jumpsuit, after opening the big can in a clumsy manner. Since there were only three people on sight including him he decided to take off his jacket and put it on the ground. He was only clad in his orange pants and a blue tee-shirt.

'_I'm definitely gonna wash up after this.'_ Naruto thought.

"You better take off your shirt if you don't want it to be smudged as well." The old man said from the side.

Naruto complied. He was now half naked as he walked pass the old man and the people at the 'old man's garden' namely, Kurenai and Hinata. When his back was evident, they could see a tattoo on his back. It looked like '_wings'_ as the old man, Hinata, and Kurenai thought. Naruto returned to his work. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu" He said. Soon, there were five clones making the job easier. By the time Naruto was done, he disposed all clones and he also noticed two things. One, it was raging hot. Second, there were people staring at him.

"Do I have something on my face?" Naruto asked.

It was only the 'old man' who answered. "No, you actually did a fine job with the fence." He said. "I'll just go and tell my daughter to get you all a drink." The old man left.

'_He must be new in the village. He doesn't even know who I am.' _Naruto thought.

Meanwhile in the 'old man's living room', there lies Kiba who was exhausted from his job. He had polished several pots, vases, and a statue that were antiques and a marble table that has an area of 2 x 2 meters. When the old man walked passed the living room he saw the kid lying on the floor with his dog, Akamaru. "Hey kid, meet with your friends outside." The old man said more like a command.

When Kiba went outside, he was greeted by a half naked Naruto. "What happened to you?" Kiba asked pointing his index finger to the blonde.

"My jumpsuit got smudged by the white paint…" Naruto said.

"Oh…" Kiba's reply as he sat next to Hinata who was sitting at the wooden railing at the porch while Kurenai was leaning at the wooden column pondering about what she saw a while ago.

Meanwhile in Naruto's mind…

"**Yo Kit, what's wrong with you? You seem a little quiet." **Kyuubi said.

"_**Nothing, I was just resting." **_Naruto replied.

"**BAH… you never rest and besides that job wasn't even fit for your taste." **Kyuubi said.

Naruto chuckled… well of course in his mind only. _**"Yea… even in your tastes as well, fur ball. I'm off for now, see ya."**_ Naruto said as he broke their link.

"Um, refreshments everyone..." A new voice came. Apparently, it came from a female probably the old man's daughter. Her name was Sonoko. She had the same raven-hair just like her Father while the color of Sonoko's eyes was honey-brown most likely came from her Mother. From Kurenai's POV, Sonoko must be around her age. **(A/N: Kurenai's age in here is 20.)**

Naruto looked at the woman with a blank facial expression. When she offered him a drink, she saw something that caught her eye. It was Naruto's necklace. "Excuse me?" Sonoko asked, looking at the blonde.

Aside from Naruto, the rest of team Kurenai looked at Sonoko. "Did your mother give you that necklace?" Sonoko said, pointing at the necklace.

"… Iie…"

"…A girlfriend then?" She asked making the blonde boy blush. "Wow you already have a girlfriend!" Sonoko said with a chuckle.

"No!" Naruto said bringing both hands in defense. "It came from my sensei." Naruto added. He had a gut feeling that he had said something wrong or at least that's what he thought.

After the said revelation, Hinata and Kiba looked at their sensei then to Naruto and again. It continued until Naruto noticed there constant staring. "No I didn't mean it like that! The necklace came from my '_first_' sensei." Naruto added once again.

"How did you know it came from a girl, Nee-chan?" Naruto asked trying to change the topic.

"It's rather simple actually, have you tried looking at it closely? If no, then, well you see this gem or shall I say ruby… has some interesting silver carvings judging by its design it's made for a girl and from the way this gem was cut I'd say it's made for a princess or someone who came from a clan of nobility." Sonoko paused, studying the necklace thoroughly. "Your sensei must have the same eye-color with that necklace of yours." When Sonoko saw the young blonde nod, she let go of the necklace.

"…How do you know these things?" Naruto asked.

"Oh… um, well you see my Father and I travel a lot. We mostly study on symbols and some old stuff. But we decided to take a little vacation for a while."

"I see…"

After several minutes of rest, team 8 took there leave. Once they neared an intersection, Hinata decided to take her leave since the said street headed to her house while Kiba decided to walk with her, leaving Naruto with Kurenai again.

When the said genins walked away, Kurenai stopped walking making Naruto to stop as well. "So who was your first sensei, Naruto-kun?" Kurenai started.

"Her name is Ayeka." Naruto responded.

"What does she looks like?" Kurenai asked.

"Actually, she kinda looks like you, Kurenai-sensei." Kurenai raised her eyebrow. "She um… well you both have the same eye color and the same hair color… and oh, she's also good in genjutsu just like you, Sensei."

"What were the things she had taught you, Naruto-kun?" Kurenai asked, obviously intrigued.

"She um…" Naruto looked down and scratched the back of his head –a signature look whenever Naruto got nervous around someone- Naruto looked up and continued. "She taught me several things like taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even kenjutsu. She also taught me how to cook as well and some etiquette. Also some things that I didn't know the purpose of it, she just said that it's to keep my emotions in check or something." Naruto said, scratching the left side of his cheek with his index finger.

"I see... so when you made that deal, you where ready for the consequences." Kurenai said.

"Wha- oh yea… kind of" Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.

Kurenai sighed yet she smiled inwardly. "I have to go to the Hokage's office for our mission report. Goodbye, Naruto-kun." With her last statement, she 'poofed' away to the Hokage's office.

"See you soon, Kurenai-sensei…" He said under his breath.

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**Mission Report**

Late afternoon at the Hokage's office, a knock on the door was heard. From the inside, an old man's voice responded with a "Come in". Slowly, a new figure walked in.

"I take that the mission is complete." The old man known as Sandaime Hokage said.

"Hai, Hokage-sama" the jounin replied in a stern tone.

"Tell me Kurenai-san, did something _'interesting'_ happened?" Sandaime said turning to lit up his pipe.

'_Interesting? What could be interesting in a D-Ranked mission?'_ Kurenai thought. "Interesting… Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked curiously. When Kurenai saw the old man nod, she recalled what had happened during their mission.

"Well, if I may say… its kind of disturbing and somewhat interesting as well, Hokage-sama." Kurenai said.

"What was the interesting part?" Sandaime asked.

"Awhile ago, I learned that Naruto-kun had a sensei before me and he even commented that we had some resemblance." Kurenai replied.

'_Resemblance?'_ The Hokage thought. "That is quite interesting, Kurenai-san. Now tell me, what was it that disturbed you?" Sandaime asked.

"It concerns on Naruto-kun, Hokage-sama, well… by chance me, a villager, and also the rest of my team saw Naruto-kun's back. He had a tattoo that looked like wings on his back. It's as if he has wings on both shoulder blades, Hokage-sama."

'_So it has begun, you should have seen it, my friend.'_ Sandaime thought making him deep in thought not even hearing what was Kurenai was saying.

"Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked bring back the old man away from his train of thoughts.

"Kurenai-san, tell me, has Naruto-kun told you something about his vision being blurry?" Sandaime asked.

Kurenai was curious to where was this discussion would lead to. "Yes he did, Hokage-sama." She said.

"When did it happen, Kurenai-san?" Sandaime asked.

"It was before I gave my team their test." Sandaime nodded at the every information he gained. "Is there something wrong, Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked eyeing the Hokage as if she's trying to read the old man's mind.

"Nothing is wrong that I assure you. Tomorrow you may get your and your teams' pay. Also could you get Kakashi-kun for me I've got some… things to discuss with him?" Sandaime ordered/asked Kurenai.

Kurenai only nodded and asked. "Is this about Naruto-kun?"

"No, this doesn't concern about your student, Kurenai-san." Sandaime lied. Kurenai bowed to her superior and 'poofed' away to find the said copy nin.

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**Author's Note/s:  
**Thanks for the awesome reviews!  
I really-really appreciate that you're reading my story! Thanks (Bows)

**Next chapter feature/s:  
**It will feature the wave arc and let's just say this is where Naruto gets to /beep, beep, beep/ Kurenai. "Stupid computer!" At the same time, Naruto will get to open his first out of three bloodlines. "Hip-hip hurray!" When they get back from Konoha, Naruto will eventually know his /beep, beep, beeeeeep/. "Shit… err, um… see you in the next chapter… hopefully. Oh and don't forget to review please…"

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

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**Chapter 4**

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**Joint Team**

D-Ranked missions, the easiest mission a ninja could have. Despite from being the easiest it is also the lamest. But for Uzumaki Naruto's opinion it is another step forward in becoming Hokage. Or at least in his mind… He had been contemplating whether these missions are good to the fact that all you have to do is do simple chores like buy the groceries, weed the garden, paint fences, fix the roof, deliver some things, or even find someone's cat. This is even way out of his league much to Kyuubi's dismay.

It has been a week since the rookie nine has started doing their missions. Having no luck to their missions, well what luck can you get in a D-Ranked mission?

Outskirts of Konoha…

"Is the target visible?" A man's voice asked.

"The target is visible." A girl's voice responded.

"The target is visible." A boy's voice said.

"…" The third person in the team replied err… didn't reply.

Slowly, they walked away from the bushes to catch Kuro-chan, the said feline who's been missing from Konohamaru's arms. When the feline detected her spectators, she ran away only to be caught by team 8's member Uzumaki Naruto. Kuro-chan knew her master's friends that included Naruto in the list.

"Hey, we were here first!" Sakura yelled.

"But we got the cat first!" Kiba shot back.

"Arrggrrr…" Sakura was beyond mad.

"Hn" replied the said avenger.

"…" Shino didn't reply… once again.

Kakashi was back to his beloved 'orange' book with a red slashed circle at the back telling that it's for 'adults only'. After 5 seconds, the group consists of Kakashi's team and Kurenai's team were hearing some sound of… giggling?

"SENSEI" Sakura yelled making everybody wince at the pitch of her yell.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Kakashi said which made Sakura more furious; Sasuke, stoic as ever, just crossed his arms; Hinata and Kiba just stared at team 7; Kurenai and Naruto just sighed; Kuro-chan just 'meowed'; while Shino just stood there quiet…

"I think she likes you, Naruto." Hinata said pointing at the cat.

"I've petted her before whenever I visit Konohamaru at the Sarutobi compound." Naruto replied while Kuro-chan was playing one of Naruto's locks near his neck making him flinch a little.

'_Ticklish?'_ Inner Kurenai thought. "Kurenai-sensei, Kuro-chan wants your 'beloved' attention." Naruto said teasingly while Kuro-chan was reaching for Kurenai's red sleeve like a baby. Naruto gave the feline to his sensei. As it reached Kurenai's arms, it was playing one of Kurenai's locks near her shoulder. When this was happening, everybody was watching in every detail not giving a damn about what were they seeing since it's in the nature of the felines to play around as always. But in Kakashi's perverted mind, it had a different aspect.

"Oi Naruto, it's early you to/_two_ to have babies." Kakashi said.

Naruto raise an eyebrow. "…Babies?" He said and took a glance on Kurenai who had a flushed pink cheeks while Kuro-chan 'meowed'. "Nii-san..!"

Kakashi laughed at his Otouto. "Maa… maa…, let's just go to the Hokage's office to report back our mission." Kakashi said.

"Wait did you just say 'our' mission, does it include them as well?" Sakura pointed out.

Kakashi simply nodded and said: "This is a joint team mission."

"…A joint team mission?" Sasuke repeated.

"And now, he tells us." Sakura said.

Hokage Tower, one of the most peaceful places in Konoha, especially, during noon time. Most workers were doing their respective duties. Some were chatting about where they could hang-out after work hours. Others were bushed out due to stress, wanting to get away from all the strain. Let's take for example, our beloved Hokage, who already finished a tower of paperwork in a record time.

'_Ah, finally, no paperwork today… I can get to enjoy this peace and quiet for once…'_ Sandaime thought, lighting his pipe as he turned to the window revealing the Hokage Monument.

Much to his dismay, his so-called peace and quiet was taken away easily. The office's door banged open showing team 7 and team 8.

'_So much to my peace and quiet…'_ Sandaime thought.

"Hey Sandaime-jiji, we already finished the mission you gave us." Naruto said, while the other genins were rather surprised at Naruto's forwardness to the Hokage.

"Good, I have another job for you." Sandaime said as he looked for the scroll.

"Give us at least a C-Ranked mission, Sandaime-jiji." Naruto said.

"Yea us too!" Sakura said. For once, Sasuke agreed with the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sandaime was thinking whether to pick the C-Ranked one or the usual D-Ranked one. "Don't even think about giving us a D-Ranked mission, _old man_." Naruto added giving stress on Sandaime's nickname.

Sandaime was in panic. He remembered when Naruto used that nickname, the memory already giving him 'the nosebleed'. But by mere chance, he accidentally picked up the D-Ranked mission scroll.

"BIG mistake, old man..." Naruto added.

Everyone was starting to feel that something was seeping out of the blonde. They all saw Naruto form a hand seal and said: "Harem no Jutsu"

Soon there were 8 naked women saying "Sarutobi-sama". As fast as the speed of sound, the nosebleeds occurred, coming from the raging-hormone teenagers, perverted men, and from the perverted old geezer as well. Not long enough, there were medics everywhere helping out. Some were confused like _how in Kami's name did these shinobis suffered with so much blood loss and it managed to injure the Hokage and even Kakashi, Konoha's Copy Nin?_

After the chaos brought by the newly formed jutsu, the jutsu has been declared as a Kinjutsu, making it forbidden to use. It took the men for almost twenty minutes to revive to their feet. That left the three genins who were still unconscious courtesy of Naruto's jutsu. Sakura was helping her dearest Sasuke-kun while Shino was being helped by a medic. Hinata, on the other hand, was looking out for Kiba.

"Fine, this will be a joint team mission. Team 7 with team 8, both jounins will be in charge. Your mission is to protect a bridge builder named Tazuna, as well as his family." Sandaime gave the mission scroll to Kakashi.

"Where is this man we're supposed to protect?" Kurenai asked.

At the same moment, the said man entered the room, looking at his protectors. "Are they the ones who are going to protect me?" He said pointing at the ninjas with his index finger.

"Yes they are, please don't underestimate them, they are more reliable than you think." Sandaime said.

"I was talking about the brats." Tazuna said.

"Why you…?-!" Naruto was about to attack Tazuna with his fist but then he was stopped by his sensei, Kurenai.

"We're not here to kill Tazuna-san. We're here to protect him." Kurenai said then she turned around to Tazuna. "I suggest you take the Hokage's advice, if I were you." Kurenai added.

The moment Tazuna saw Kurenai's eyes; he could feel his feet being buried to the floor, either from fear or anxiousness. Tazuna got even more nervous when he got suddenly crept up by a half-masked man and told him something about 'you haven't seen the scariest part'.

Sandaime coughed a little bit to make known his presence once again. "During you're trip to Wave Country you will meet someone named, Momochi Zabuza." Sandaime said.

"Isn't he the renowned demon of the mist?" Kurenai asked.

On Sandaime's face, there formed a smile. "Yes to everyone's knowledge he is the famous demon of the mist but he is also one of my so-called contacts at the outside world. It is one of his ways to survive, be one with the hunter as what he had said to me all those years." Sandaime smiled. "Zabuza will lead you on the way there about this." Sandaime said as he pulled another scroll and gave to Kakashi who eyed the contents of the said scroll.

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**Nami no Zaisho: Day One**

Noon, near the west gate of Konoha, stood an old man. Probably, in his late forty's. The said old man was with a group of young ninjas who were also waiting as well just like him, the old man. He noticed something about the group. (1) There was a pink-haired girl who was fawning over this raven-haired boy who was crossing his arms ignoring the pink-haired girl. (2) There was this weird looking boy playing with his dog. (3) There were two silent kids. The first one was looking down while the other one was different. Tazuna couldn't even tell where he was looking because of his deep-shaded sunglasses. (4) Lastly, Tazuna noticed that he was being watched, he turned around to see who was staring at him, only to find the same blonde-haired boy who was about to attack him earlier.

After ten minutes, they all heard a 'poof'. When the smoke dissipated, it showed Team 8's jounin instructor, Yuuhi Kurenai. She asked if Kakashi had showed up but when Kiba said that he saw the copy nin entering a bookstore on his way to the gate. Everybody swear they saw an imaginary vein popping out on Kurenai's forehead. The vein popping only stopped when Kakashi showed up with a new edition of Icha Icha Paradise.

"Yo, let's go." Kakashi said behind his new 'orange' book.

The next thing they new, they were walking away from the west gate. Kakashi with Shino on the front; Sakura ogling over Sasuke at the back of Kakashi and Shino; Hinata with Kiba at Tazuna's side both left and right, respectively; while at the back were Naruto and Kurenai.

As they all walked, none gave a damn about the puddles on the ground but Naruto did.

Kurenai saw the ones at the front stopped walking, especially Kakashi. She too stopped and saw Naruto standing in front of numerous abnormal puddles. The next thing they saw was a blur. Everybody was caught up with the blur that turned into a group of ninjas and samurais. There were four ninjas particularly from the hidden village of the mist, and four samurais that came from the hidden village of the rock. They were so caught up that no one realized that one member of their group was captured quite easily much to her dismay.

"Give us the old man and this won't get messy." The leader said, pointing at Tazuna with his katana.

"What if we don't?" Kakashi replied.

"She dies…" The leader said, pointing to the captured Kurenai.

"SENSEI..!" Team 8 cried. They were in a battle position ready to rescue their sensei.

"Nobody moves, if one of you moved will kill you instead, leaving the old man and this exotic woman of yours to us." The leader said as he grinned manically. With this said, all the enemies were moving near team 7 and team 8.

Naruto loosened up and he moved! The enemy leader's eyes shot at the blonde who was doing something with his hands. It didn't register to the leader's eyes. It was like a fast blur._ The fool what the heck was he thinking forming hand seals when someone is ready to stab him at the back._ The leader thought. They could all see Naruto, stabbed at the back by the enemy, being thrown at the side of the near by forest.

"NARUTO..!"

/Beat/

Kurenai witnessed everything; she was still shaking from the fact that Naruto was stabbed in front of her! She could feel some beatings inside of her that she couldn't even comprehend.

/Beat/

'_It can't be…'_

/Beat/

'_Naruto-kun's dead?'_

/Beat/

'_Impossible!'_

/Beat/

'_It must be a genjutsu!'_

/Beat/

'_But how come I didn't detect it?'_

/Beat/

'_I should have stopped it from happening!'_

/Beat/

'…'

The sound of beatings didn't stop. It only took its pace even further and soon it became more ragged.

"What's the matter, scared ojou-chan?" The leader asked behind Kurenai's ear.

"If I get loose from you, I swear I'm going to kill you." Kurenai said with gritted teeth.

"Let's see you try." The leader mocked the now freed Jounin.

Currently, both Jounins, Kakashi and Kurenai, were fighting against the enemy ninjas. While the five genins were defending Tazuna's life against four samurais. Sakura and Hinata were both at Tazuna's side. Kiba and Akamaru already formed the Juujin Bushin. Shino was calling out his Kikkai bugs. At the same time, Sasuke formed a set of hand seals and called out: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu"

Once the flames were off, there was only one samurai left. Kiba used his Gatsuuga to their last enemy, wanting to make his opponent to feel the lost he received.

Meanwhile both Kakashi and Kurenai were trying to fend off the flying shurikens heading their way. "This is beginning to be child's play." The enemy ninja said as he formed a series of hand seals and said. "Suiton: Suikoudan no Jutsu"

Kakashi was about to cast a jutsu the moment he saw the upcoming barrage of water until he heard a familiar voice shout out. "Suiton: Suijinheki"

Soon, both jounins were seeing a wall of water in front of them. They both turn and saw the caster, Naruto, with somebody in tow.

When the water dissipated, it revealed five ninjas, three leaf ninjas and two mist ninjas. The enemy ninjas stepped back when they saw the new additions namely, Momochi Zabuza and Haku **(A/N: it's female Haku)**.

"What's the matter? You all looked like you've seen a ghost." Zabuza said as he picked up his sword, Kubikiri Houcho, from his back bringing it forth. "Haku" Zabuza called out.

Haku slowly walked up to the enemy ninjas while in her right hand held four needles for each enemy ninjas. _'Perfect number'_ Haku thought. With one shot, Haku managed to slay a single ninja with her keen shot at its neck.

"One down three to go." Haku said behind her mask.

Three needles were left in her hands but this time she fired them altogether, making the enemy ninjas lifeless before her.

Zabuza noticed the blonde kid next to him as if the blonde was flinching or something. "What's the matter, kid?" Zabuza asked.

"…N-nothing…" Naruto managed to stutter before he fell unconscious.

"Oi Kid, you okay?" Zabuza said.

Everybody's attention flew to them. Both Kurenai and Kakashi ran up to them to see if Naruto was okay, while the genins walked to them but Kakashi told them not look.

Meanwhile, Kurenai, Haku, and Zabuza were beside Naruto. They saw the stab near Naruto's left shoulder. Kurenai didn't imagine that the stab passed through his body. Slowly, they all saw a small tint of red chakra coming out of his body, healing his wounds perfectly. But something was off; Naruto had not yet awakened from his unconsciousness.

Kakashi walked up to them and carried Naruto at his back. He looked at Tazuna with both of his eyes, revealing his spinning Sharingan to the man before him.

"Explain you're self! You only ordered protection from rogue bandits, animals, but you never spoken of enemy ninjas. This mission is clearly a high-level C-Ranked mission. Not only that, this mission managed to hurt my little brother."

At the mention of 'little brother' Tazuna looked at the kid Kakashi was carrying and looked down.

"Now I tell you again, explain you're self, Tazuna-san!" Kakashi said.

Tazuna started to tell the whole group about what has been happening in wave country, including Gatou who wants Tazuna dead for making this bridge that will corrupt his (Gatou) business.

"Tazuna, eh..?" Zabuza said as if tasting the name. Tazuna looked at the famous demon of the mist with bullets forming at the side of his face. "Kakashi, if that kid wakes up he'll probably tell us to continue this mission." Zabuza said as he looked at Kakashi and turned to look at Kurenai. "Right..?" Zabuza asked looking at Kurenai who only nodded and looked worried to her student. "Besides, I'm sure Tazuna-san here will have to pay the full amount for you mission. Right, Tazuna-san..?" Zabuza said with earn him a nod from the bridge builder.

Zabuza walked forward with Haku leading the way while Kakashi followed behind. Kurenai and the others walked next to them.

"Wait! You're going to help us?" Kakashi asked bringing down his hitai-ate to hide his left eye.

"Right you are, I believe 'monkey' told you about this, am I right?" Zabuza said.

Kakashi pondered for awhile when Zabuza said 'monkey' Zabuza actually meant Sarutobi. _'Saru' means monkey_. Kakashi thought. "Yes he did." Kakashi said.

"Just our luck, everything seems to take its place, don't you think?" Zabuza said as he walked to the near boat with a man in it.

'_It's rather peaceful yet disturbing in here.' _Kurenai thought while Naruto was sound asleep at her lap. Both of them were at the back while the ones at the front where Kakashi and Zabuza followed by Haku, Tazuna and Shino. Next to them were Sasuke and Sakura followed by Hinata and Kiba and the ones at the back as well, including the driver of the boat. Some were thinking about what had happened earlier. Lets take for example:

'_That was the Sharingan! Kakashi-sensei had the Sharingan!' _(Sasuke)

'_This boy is a demon vessel, just like Haku.'_ (Zabuza)

'_He's just like me.'_ (Haku)

'_What was that feeling awhile ago? It felt like my heart was beating hard and fast.'_ (Kurenai)

It took them twenty minutes to arrive at the shoreline of the wave country. The first thing they saw was the fair treatment the villagers had. Some were poor. Some were lucky to have homes as they call it. Soon, they were in front of Tazuna's house. It wasn't small or big. It was perfect for the old man and his family. "Welcome to my humble home." Tazuna said.

Once they entered, Tazuna was greeted by her daughter, Tsunami. "Father, what took you so long?" She asked, bringing her hand to her hip as she waited for her father to reply.

"Oh… well… you see, I have to ask for some help." Tazuna said as he pointed at the ninjas behind him.

After a couple of minutes, the genins were at the living room, resting or talking.

"How do you think Naruto's doing?" Hinata asked her team mate.

"He'll be fine. Plus, Kurenai-sensei is with him, remember?" Kiba said as he made sure that Hinata won't get worried too much.

"I guess you're right, arigato, Kiba-_kun_." Hinata said letting the 'kun' slip from her mouth. She noticed Kiba looked away as he waved his hand saying 'it's nothing' with flushed pink cheeks.

Meanwhile at the front porch of Tazuna's house, Kakashi and Zabuza with Haku were there talking. Mostly about shinobi stuff and their mission but their topic suddenly changed by Zabuza.

"Your brother, what's his name?" Zabuza said.

"Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto." Kakashi said.

"He's quite interesting, if you ask me." Zabuza said. Kakashi cocked an eyebrow and left the porch. Kakashi was soon followed by Zabuza with Haku in tow.

At the same moment in the guest room, Kurenai was watching Naruto sleep on his futon. Naruto hadn't showed any interest in waking up for quite some time now in his watcher's opinion. A minute had passed, Kurenai noticed Naruto's breathing was becoming ragged and his chest was rising rather high.

"Naruto" Kurenai said in panic. She suddenly noticed Naruto's eyes were opening slowly.

Naruto slowly sat up and saw his sensei with an expression he hadn't seen before. It was a mix of sadness, hurt, happiness, and shock. The next thing he knew, he was caught off guard as Kurenai pulled him in to a hug.

"What were you thinking? You had me worried so much!" Naruto heard Kurenai say.

"I… I-I'm sorry." Naruto said as he returned the hug back. _'Is she crying? She is! Oh God what did I do?' _"Kurenai-_chan_, please don't cry." Naruto said. Unknown to him he let out the '_chan_' in Kurenai's name.

At the same time, Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku, were watching the 'couple's lovely session' as to what Kakashi had named it.

"This is quite interesting. Don't you think Zabuza-san?" Kakashi said with a smirk under his facemask, letting Naruto and Kurenai know their presence. The moment they heard Kakashi's voice, they let go of each other. Kurenai sat up and looked down at the floor, wishing to get sucked by the earth. She hated when Kakashi gets to his teasing mode.

Zabuza grinned at the event he had witnessed. He looked at Kakashi and said. "Yea _'very'_… interesting indeed" Zabuza said, putting a stress mark on every word.

"How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" Haku asked behind her mask.

"I feel fine. Who are you anyway?" Naruto asked.

"My name is Haku. I'm Zabuza's sister." Haku said as she revealed her smiling face to the young blonde.

"WHAT?" Naruto said almost shouted. "You don't even look close to him. I don't see any family resemblance between the both of you!" Naruto said rather loudly that made the man called, Zabuza, twitch his eyebrow rather at a fast speed.

"BAKA! I adopted Haku back when she was still a child." Zabuza said.

"Oh… that's probably the reason why she wouldn't look close to you… she's too pretty to be your sister." Naruto said as she tried to stand up with success. By the time he was on his feet, Naruto noticed Zabuza's twitching eyebrow but he didn't notice Haku's flushed cheeks.

After a couple of hours, Naruto found himself in front of the dining table with everybody else. Naruto sighed not really knowing why.

"**What are you sighing about, Kit?" **Kyuubi asked to his jailor.

'_**It's nothing, Fur ball. I just miss the ramen back at Konoha.'**_ Naruto replied.

"**The ramen or the ramen girl, what was her name Aye…"** Kyuubi said with a grin on his face.

'_**Ayame? It's not her it's the ramen okay! That I assure you!'**_ Naruto replied.

"**Ooh… looks whose acting guilty?"** Kyuubi said with a chuckle.

'_**You Fur ball, I am NOT acting guilty!'**_ Naruto said in defense.

"**Ooh… maybe it's those purple-haired kunoichis. I can't blame you; they're quite beautiful if you ask me." **Kyuubi stopped and took a look at his jailor who had a blank look on his face.

'_**It's not them! It's the ramen okay! RAMEN as in R-A-M-E-N ramen!' **_Naruto said.

"**Right… blame it all to the cup of noodles." **Kyuubi stopped while his jailor sighed in his mind and in the real world as well. **"Okay, so what about you and your Kurenai-chan?"** Kyuubi added, making the real Naruto to become red if not redder.

'…'

"**HA! It is her! I knew it – I knew it."** Kyuubi singed inside Naruto's mind. Singing something with the only lyrics is I knew it – I knew it.

Unknown to Naruto some people in the dining area where starting to get worried to the young blonde. Naruto hadn't touched his food for quite awhile now.

"Naruto..?" Kurenai patted his shoulder. She could see him red, flush red. In her mind she was wondering what was happening to him. After five seconds Naruto looked up and saw his sensei looking at him.

"Yes Sensei?" Naruto asked with innocent eyes.

Kurenai sighed. "Otouto, are you feeling well? You haven't touched your food." Kakashi said in behind.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, Nii-chan." Naruto said as he picked up his spoon and started to eat his porridge.

After an hour or so, Tazuna decided to go to the market to buy some groceries since they were running short in their stocks. Tazuna told Kakashi that he will be out for some groceries with Naruto to stretch his muscles as what the old man suggested.

Currently with Naruto and Tazuna, Tazuna stopped and looked at the ninja before him. Naruto had this questioning look on his face that said – What are you thinking, Old Man? – Kind of look.

Tazuna held out his grocery list and a few bills from his wallet and gave it to Naruto. "Buy them, I'll just watch you." Tazuna said.

"What?" Naruto said but reluctantly he just took both items from Tazuna. Naruto looked at the list that contained:

3 PCS of Radish

5 PCS of Eggs

2 Kilos of Meat, Pork, and Fish

1 Kilo of Tofu

1 Kilo of Shrimp

2 Packs of Nori

"Um Tazuna-san, I don't think these 1,500.00 ryou is enough for all of these." Naruto said as he was pushed and semi-dragged to their first stop, the vegetable shop.

Naruto looked at the person guarding the store. He noticed that it was a girl, probably Haku's age, was looking at him as well. The girl wasn't glaring at him just like the villagers do when he was going buy stuff for his apartment. This was different it has something in it that Naruto couldn't put his finger in it.

Naruto was about to ask the price for the radish when someone interfered. Two samurais that had similar clothing with the ones, who had attacked yesterday, came. The sound of sword clashing with the air brought Naruto's polite face down to something else. Naruto told Tazuna to stay beside the girl behind her shop.

Naruto loosened his stance. Everybody saw both Naruto's feet bouncing and his face was neutral not giving any emotions to his opponent. "What are you trying to do, mock us to death?" The bald samurai said.

The said bald samurai was readying himself as well. He ordered his comrade to do it as well but he was too dumbfounded when his comrade's katana was gone.

"This is quite a beautiful sword, if you ask me." The bald samurai looked at the owner of the voice which belonged to the blonde boy who took a kenjutsu stance as well. "Um… uh… can we do this fast, I have to buy these groceries, ne?" Naruto said in his natural tone.

Silence filled the market place. Everybody was looking at them and to the blonde boy who had managed to snag the opponent's katana. They all had the same thoughts running in their minds like the bald samurai. _'How the heck did he do that?'_

"Take him out!" The other enemy samurai said.

It rang to the bald samurai's mind like a BIG boom. He attacked Naruto fast but he noticed that he just slashed the air as if the said blonde boy wasn't there.

"On top of you..!" The bald samurai's comrade shouted.

But before the bald samurai could look he already felt the earth on his face and a slight lump on the back of his head. "What the?" He managed to say before passing out. As for the other enemy samurai, Naruto threw back his sword, making the samurai fall backwards. He immediately got up and carried his comrade away from the blonde 'dangerous' boy as he had commented in his mind.

Once Naruto saw that the enemies were gone, he turned back to his polite façade to Tazuna and to the storekeeper who had, by the way, hearts on her eyes just like the other storekeepers.

After a couple of minutes, both Tazuna and Naruto went back to Tazuna's house with two fully loaded grocery bags in each arm. By the time they entered the house they were greeted with questioning looks on their faces.

"Where's the feast, Tazuna-san?" Kakashi asked.

"You didn't spend all the money didn't you, Father?" Tsunami said as she looked at the grocery bags.

"Oh these, it's um… how shall I say this? I got a lot of discounts today… he-he…" Tazuna said.

"Discount..? Since when do those ladies ever give you a discount?" Tsunami asked eyeing her father. At this point everybody was in the kitchen, hearing their conversation.

"Oh Naruto did it, actually." Tazuna said making Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Your brother is quite lucky with the females if I may add." Tazuna said to Kakashi rather loudly that made everyone in the room look at the blonde who fighting not to blush at the moment.

"How did you do it?" Kiba asked.

"Do what?" Naruto said still not getting what was the main topic.

"You've managed to get really rare high discounts, how did you do it?" Tsunami asked.

"I guess I just walked up to the storekeeper and asked how much does it cost." Naruto said.

"Right…" Kiba said.

"Did they ask you something?" Tsunami asked.

"Actually, they did. They asked me if I was a relative of yours but then Tazuna-san said I was a visiting relative of yours, do you believe that? But then some were asking for my name, age, where I live, but they got disappointed with the age, though. But then again, they asked me if I was interested in older women." Naruto said.

"So what was your answer?" Haku asked.

"Uh…" Naruto said as he was in a thinking position. "… my answer was: I don't know. Since I really don't know what they were talking about he-he… hey, what's wrong with you guys? You all had the same expression with the ones at the market." Naruto said.

Kakashi laughed and caught Naruto by the neck, brushing his hair in the process. "Come on, you and you're team mates will train with us today." Kakashi said.

Outside Tazuna's house, there stood team 7 and 8 along with Zabuza and Haku. All of the genins sat at the ground while the others were different. Kakashi was explaining to the genins something about tree climbing and chakra control until someone was… yawning?

Kakashi looked who was disturbing his class only to find Naruto yawning and covering his mouth as he yawned.

"Naruto..!" Kakashi yelled and took out a kunai and threw it to the said blonde who managed to catch it attentively. "Go and climb that tree without using your hands, now!" Sasuke smirked at this.

'_You're not so great now, are you Dobe?'_ Sasuke thought.

Naruto got to his feet and went to the said tree. He crouched a little, bringing both of his feet apart. He formed a tiger seal and started to store enough chakra to his feet. Once he had enough chakra, he started to run up to the tree and then he began to walk up to reach to the top. He could see everybody from the top. He back flipped and caught a branch and another branch until he reached the lower part of the tree, the ground. Most of the genins were telling him 'how did you do that' and 'that was amazing' something like that. Naruto threw back the kunai to Kakashi who caught it easily.

Meanwhile, Sakura could swear her crush was glaring at Naruto. _'He's been acting weird since yesterday.'_ Sakura thought. Her reverie was cut off when Kakashi patted her at the back; behind him was Hinata and Haku. "You're going with them; practice your tree climbing at that side." Kakashi said as he pointed at the other side of the clearing, namely, the right side of the training ground.

On the left side were the boys while at the right were the girls. At the girls' side, Haku was the first one to finish the exercise followed by Hinata and Sakura at the same time. At the boys' side, Naruto was the first since he had done it in front of their eyes, Kiba and Shino was next to finish. Naruto had offered Sasuke help but the Uchiha sole survivor refused it quite arrogantly instead Sasuke challenged Naruto to a fight.

"Fight me!" Sasuke said.

Naruto looked at Sasuke as if he'd gone crazy. "Huh?" He said.

"I said fight me, Uzumaki Naruto!" Sasuke said as he pulled out his fuuma shuriken.

Kakashi and Kurenai were about to stop the upcoming fight between their students but Zabuza stopped them and said: "Don't, I want to see what Naruto-kun will do about this mess." Zabuza said. Reluctantly, both Jounins stood their ground and watched at their students.

"No, I won't fight you. You're not my enemy, Sasuke." Naruto said in a calm tone.

Sasuke could see Naruto's calm features but to him it has a different story in it. _'How dare he act all calm on me? Is he making fun of me? I, an Uchiha!'_ Sasuke thought. Sasuke didn't replied any further; he just attacked at Naruto with his fuuma shuriken in hand. Naruto quickly sidestepped away from Sasuke who already gained his posture from his recent attack.

'_What did I do now?'_ Naruto thought as he blocked the upcoming projectile that was targeted at his head.

"Sasuke, stop it this instant!" Naruto raised his voice but it only fell to deaf ears. Soon, Naruto saw a familiar set of hand seals. Naruto quickly formed his own set. When Sasuke shouted "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu" and let out a large ball like flames through his mouth, Naruto did the same, only, he called out was: "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu". It totally covered the Grand Fireball by a Large Flame Dragon.

Once the flames were out, Naruto stopped to observe Sasuke. The said Uchiha prodigy was forming another set of hand seals but Kakashi was already there stopping the fight much to Zabuza's dismay.

"That's enough, Sasuke." Kakashi said as he held Sasuke's arm. Sasuke glared at his sensei with his newly formed "Sharingan" that had two commas on each eye. Then he walked back to Tazuna's house followed by Sakura behind.

Naruto looked at Sasuke's retreating back. _'His eyes tell everything but what was it trying to tell?'_ Naruto thought. His train of thoughts was suddenly cut off when Kiba was shaking the hell out of him.

"That was amazing, Naruto! You beat the hell out of that bastard!" Kiba said as he continued to shake his blonde friend.

"Kiba-san, I think Naruto-san had enough with your shakes." Shino said, making Kiba stop with wide eyes as well as Naruto who had gotten away from Kiba's grip, he too stared at the young Aburame with wide eyes. Shino, one the other hand, raised his eye brow.

"Have you realized that you let out a couple of words with numerous syllables in it?" Naruto said, still disbelieving.

"Thank you for the observation, Naruto-san." Shino said.

"There it goes again." Naruto said.

"Honestly Shino, why not talk a lot?" Kiba asked. This caused everybody's attention to them since they know that Shino doesn't talk much.

"I simply talk when it's needed." Shino said.

"Right…" (Naruto and Kiba)

Everybody's attention altered when they heard someone was calling out for them. "Dinner's ready!" Tsunami shouted. Once they entered the dining area they saw Tazuna seated at the middle while the one next to him was new to the group's eyes. They all saw Sasuke and Sakura entered the room. The one next to Tazuna glared at the ninjas. It matches with Hyuuga Hiashi's glare in Hinata's opinion.

"Why bother helping us? You all will end up dead anyway!" The boy said.

Naruto had too much of arrogance in one day. Let's just say, Naruto snapped. The one who was seated next to Tazuna was no longer seated in his chair but rather he was raised against the wall through the collar by Naruto.

"We ending up dead, yea sure but at least we died with a fight! Unlike you, who would probably cry and do nothing!" Naruto said. Before him was a boy trying not to cry. Once Naruto let go the boy, the said boy cried away running back to his own room.

"I uh… lost my appetite… I-I'm… sorry about the commotion." Naruto said walking away.

"I'm sorry about, Inari." Tsunami said.

"Is he always like that?" Kurenai asked.

Tsunami shook her head. "No, he was a cheerful boy but when his Father died…" Tsunami looked down, not wanting to remember some unwanted memories.

Tazuna looked at his daughter with remorse in his eyes. He knew her husband's death hadn't stop plaguing her and her son's memories.

Dinner went with an eerie silence. The only thing that can be heard was the steam being produced by the rice cooker. After dinner, Tsunami decided to take Inari's meal to his room.

Meanwhile, Kakashi separated the group once again the girls at the right and the boys at the left. He told them to sleep early since in the next day Tazuna will have to go to the construction site where the bridge is being built. Later that evening, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Zabuza with Haku planned to take the night's watch seeing as it wasn't safe for Tazuna's family to be left unprotected even at their sleep.

Kakashi and Zabuza were at the backyard while Kurenai was at the front porch. Haku, on the other hand, was at the roof surveying the ones below.

Kurenai was leaning at the wall at the front porch. She had been guarding there for almost 15 minutes now. She thought that she had heard some footsteps from the inside until the sound became more define. _'Did somebody come in unnoticed?'_ Kurenai thought. She formed a series of hand seals and whispered a jutsu that made her invisible. Once Kurenai managed to come inside, she concealed her chakra as low as possible. By the time she saw the source of the noise, she stopped walking. She noticed a familiar voice talking with itself. Kurenai walked closely to see who was there at this mere moment.

"/sighs/ she always tells me to seek the underneath of the underneath. His eyes tell everything but I can't still see it. What would you do if you were at my place, huh Sensei?" A voice said to no one in particular.

Kurenai took this moment to enter the scene. "Have you tried harder?" Kurenai asked. This caused the owner of the voice to turn to see who was there behind him.

"Kurenai-sensei..?" Naruto said.

"Can't sleep?" Kurenai asked.

Naruto only shook his head in response. He saw her walk outside the front door. Soon, he followed her. It was 2 o'clock in the early morning at that time. Cold air was present. It made the night chilly. Naruto tucked out his jacket and placed it on Kurenai who was seating at the stairway of the front porch.

Kurenai, on the other hand, was caught off guard when Naruto placed his jacket on her. She looked at him with a tint of pink on her face. When she remembered what she had done back at the guest room, she was now trying not to blush furiously. She was thankful that Naruto's jacket served as a cover from her blush. It took her at least 20 minutes to gather or to complete her speech but when she was about to speak, she saw Naruto asleep leaning at the wooden rails, faced down. Kurenai smiled at this. She gently placed Naruto's jacket on him as he continue with his slumber beside Kurenai.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Nami no Zaisho: Day Two**

Morning breeze, calm, cool and gentle, it flowed softly making the leaves swirl in various directions. At the same moment, the sun chose to rise up and to make known its presence. Slowly, the cool breeze and the warmth coming from the sun, coupled together, harmonizing, making a new feeling.

The morning rays slowly crept its way to the residents' eyes, making them awake. Some grunted, sighed, while some shrugged. Meanwhile outside Tazuna's door, a certain blonde gradually open his eyes. He noticed that he had fallen asleep outside Tazuna's door. He saw his jacket on him as if someone had placed it while he was sleeping. He remembered he had placed it on Kurenai, he can even smell a hint of her scent in his jacket.

"Oi Naruto, did you sleep here outside Tazuna's house?" Kiba said as he walked to his blonde friend with Hinata behind.

"Of course not, I just woke up early, that's all." Naruto said not really wanting to tell the truth.

"Right… Tsunami-san said that breakfast will be ready soon." When Naruto heard the word _breakfast_ there was an audible grumble, audible enough for team 8 to hear. Naruto just scratched the back of his head while on his face was a sheepish grin on it.

"You shouldn't have skipped dinner last night, Naruto." Hinata said while Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Come on let's go in, I can already smell Tsunami-san's cooking." Kiba said as he placed his young pup on the floor.

Soon, the dining area was filled with people and dog for Akamaru's case. Tazuna announced that he will be at the construction site after breakfast. Both leaf jounins agreed to take Tazuna at the construction site with Zabuza but this time Haku won't be with Zabuza. Haku was ordered to stay here with the other genins to guard and protect Tazuna's family just in case Gatou decided to take them as hostages.

Haku interrupted their plan and said: "Why not put Tazuna's family and the villagers in a secluded place. I'm sure once Gatou decided to attack he won't care about the casualties. The workers and the villagers will be at stake as well." Haku said.

Once Haku was finished with her speech, a loud gong was heard. Tazuna knew what was that gong for. The ninjas looked at the bridge builder and asked what that was about. Tazuna looked at them with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He had the same look back when he saw Kurenai's eyes. "It's Gatou… he's at the construction site." Tazuna said.

Meanwhile at the said bridge site, Gatou's men, ranging from bandits, swordsmen, and nukenins, were at the site. It caused the workers to flee out of fear. Once the workers were about to reach the end of the bridge, they all saw a group of ninjas with Tazuna and his family in tow. Both leaf jounins and mist ninjas stayed to protect the bridge while the genins were ordered to place the villagers and the workers as well as Tazuna's family in a safe clearing.

When Zabuza formed a familiar set of hand seals in Kakashi's opinion, Kakashi turned to Sasuke and Kiba. "Sasuke, Kiba, both of you will be in charge of the villagers' safety." Kakashi said and turned to Hinata. "You will lead them to a safe place." Three genins nodded their heads. The genins ran with Hinata leading the way. It only took them at least three minutes to find a safe spot. They were contemplating whether if some of them will have to go back to help their senseis. Shino and Kiba decided to stay to protect the others while Naruto and Sasuke agreed to go back and help. Sakura was about to say that she wants to go with Naruto and Sasuke but Naruto beat her up to it.

"Hinata should come with us. Her Byakugan can see through the mist Zabuza-san had made." Naruto said.

Sakura was about to complain but when she saw Sasuke's eyes turn into something different, she just nodded in response. Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes. There, he saw the Sharingan. Sasuke had two commas on each eye.

"A-ano… we should hurry up to help back our senseis." Hinata whispered loud enough for them to hear. Without thinking, they all run fast to the bridge were the fight had already begun.

At the bridge, Kakashi with his Chidori was attacking one of the nukenins. Zabuza with his Kubikiri Houcho was currently blocking the attacks of three swordsmen. Haku managed to kill most of the bandits with her "Makyou Hyoushou". Kurenai with her "Kokuangyo no Jutsu", she managed to slay at least two nukenins with her genjutsu. Zabuza was about to say to Gatou 'give up" until… they all heard a vaguely loud thump that made the bridge quake. Now, behind Gatou was a giant which everyone thought.

The genin group that consists of Hyuuga Hinata, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto, came. They managed to see who their superiors' opponent was. From their point of view, that being was beyond enormous!

'_He's taller than Gai-san!'_ (Naruto)

'_What the heck!'_ (Sasuke)

'…' (Hinata)

"I like you all to meet Ohkubo, your doom." Gatou smiled and left with his attendant. He waved a farewell to the ninjas at the bridge as he escaped in his boat.

Kakashi surveyed the one in front of him and his comrades. From what he can tell this match will be different.

'_Why left a single man to fight with us. Gatou only used those men awhile ago to make us exhausted for this major fight. How could I not see it! Darn it!' _Kakashi thought. He looked at Zabuza who was looking at him as well. Haku was looking at her Aniki, from what she could see, Zabuza and Kakashi had a plan under their sleeves.

Zabuza tighten his grip on his Kubikiri Houcho while Kakashi formed a set of hand seals and held his right wrist. After a couple of seconds, a sound of creaking can be heard all over the place. Zabuza looked at Kakashi who nodded in response. With a fast blur, Kakashi and Zabuza attacked at the man before them. Kakashi on the top with his Chidori while Zabuza below with his Kubikiri Houcho. Everybody would have thought that their attack would be a success but on the contrary it failed miserably.

Ohkubo caught Kakashi by the arm while Zabuza's attack was block only by Ohkubo's arm shield. _'What the? He should be cut in half not like this!'_ Zabuza thought. His reverie was cut off when he and Kakashi got thrown to the wooden railings of the bridge, making them unconscious in the process. Haku ran for Zabuza while Naruto ran for Kakashi. Kurenai was about to stop Naruto but Ohkubo moved in, giving Kurenai a knee kick on her stomach. The force and pressure made her cough blood and flew back but Ohkubo managed to catch her by the hair, making Kurenai wince in pain. Hinata managed to shout out Kurenai's name out of fear. Haku, Hinata, Sasuke were about to attack but something was off. They couldn't move. Ohkubo looked at them with a sly smile on his face.

"Can't move? This technique is called "Kanashibari no Jutsu" surprised? I see." Ohkubo said.

Ohkubo saw the blonde boy glaring at him as if the said blonde was trying to pierce Ohkubo's eyes.

"You care for this pitiful woman?" Ohkubo smirked and looked at Kurenai's features with malice in his eyes as he licked the trickle of blood from her chin. This caused Naruto to get even more enraged. "Why won't you try and catch her then." Naruto watched as Ohkubo raised Kurenai once again. Ohkubo clenched his fist and did something unforgivable in Naruto's opinion. Ohkubo punched Kurenai at the stomach making her fall off the bridge.

Naruto didn't have to think any other things, he ran after Kurenai who was on the process of falling. He jumped down to race forward to her body. Once he had held her safe, he changed their position so that he could break her fall since he knew that Kyuubi could heal him.

"Naruto..?" Kurenai managed to stutter. She could see her surroundings were upside down. It was until now that she remembered what that, that 'bastard' Ohkubo did to her. She noticed the position they were in.

'_Oh no..! If we reach the bottom, Naruto-kun will receive the blow!'_ Kurenai thought as she tried to change it, but to no avail, Naruto was holding her tight; his eyes were closed as if waiting for the blow to occur.

Back with Kakashi and Zabuza, they managed to recover back in time and saw Naruto jumped down the bridge to catch Kurenai. Kakashi noticed Haku, Hinata, and Sasuke immobilized from where they stood. He immediately countered the said jutsu, freeing the three of them. Zabuza took his chance to challenge Ohkubo in an all-out kenjutsu match while Kakashi made sure that the others were okay.

With Shino, Kiba, and Sakura, they took notice that Inari was on top of a table, shouting for attention. Tsunami was telling Inari to go down from there but Inari was still shouting until he got everyone's fair attention.

"What's the matter with you?" A villager asked.

Inari just glared at the villager and said. "Listen up! Our friends are out there risking their lives just to save us. We should go there and help them!" Inari shouted.

"But what can we possibly do?" Another villager asked.

"We fight will all we've got!" Inari said. He could some villagers murmuring about something. Tazuna was about to say something when a villager yelled "let's show them what we've got!" Soon, there were people walking to the bridge. They could see Zabuza fighting with an enormous enemy even bigger than Zabuza.

In the meantime, Kurenai was in panic. Panic for her life and panic for Naruto. He hadn't responded in all of her callings. Kurenai could see the water below them clearly but something was off… they stopped just before they could hit the water. She could hear Naruto panting and above all she could see a pair of black wings at Naruto's back.

"Kurenai-sensei, how are you feeling?" Naruto asked as he shifted their position. They were floating above the water.

Kurenai hadn't answered yet she was still looking at his black wings.

"I take it that you're alright." She heard him say.

Soon, they were flying up to the bridge. Once they got there, they both saw Zabuza being thrown to the wooden railings again. Kakashi noticed Naruto's and Kurenai's presence but his line of sight was focused to Naruto who had a pair of black wings on his back.

Ohkubo noticed the blonde boy and the woman he abused awhile ago. He took this opportunity to charge at them. He tightened his grip on both of his axe. Kakashi noticed this. He was about to warn Naruto and Kurenai until…

"What the..?" Ohkubo said. In front of him was the said blonde and the woman, only, they were covered by the blonde boy's wings. Ohkubo moved back and saw the wings were slowly revealing Naruto with Kurenai. Naruto walked to Ohkubo who stepped back for every step Naruto did. "You…" Ohkubo heard Naruto say. Naruto took another step by the time his ankle reached the ground he vanished in thin air. Ohkubo was frankly looking everywhere. The only thing that he did see was a flash of yellow and black. Everybody saw Naruto spun vertically. Naruto managed to kick Ohkubo at the jaw two times as he spun.

Ohkubo immediately collected himself. He saw Naruto forming a set of hand seals and shouted "Raiton: Shuurai no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Technique)!" The moment the technique was released, Ohkubo could see a dragon shaped lightning coming his way. Unfortunately for Ohkubo, the technique closes its target for a sure kill. As a result, Ohkubo lay lifeless on the floor while Naruto fell to his knees, unconscious, as his wings dissipated as well. At the very same moment, the villagers and other leaf ninjas came. They managed to witness how Naruto defeated the man before him, Ohkubo. After the bridge incident, the villagers decided to name the bridge as The Naruto Great Bridge much to Inari's perseverance.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Nibankari: Aftermath**

Noon, outside Konoha Hospital stood three people. The first one carried flowers in her arms. The second one carried plastic bags with bento boxes in it. The third one carried an orange book in his hand. Once they walked inside the said hospital, they went straight to the nurses' counter to ask for their friend/brother's room number. After a couple of minutes, they were at the third floor corridor. Of all the strange things that they had seen in their entire life was different from this one. Before them was Konohagakure no Sato's Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi, listening/eavesdropping intently behind Uzumaki Naruto's Door.

"Hokage-sama, what are you doing?" Sandaime heard a woman's voice say.

By the time Sandaime turned, he saw Hatake Kakashi, Uzuki Yuugao, and Mitarashi Anko, looking at him with a questioning look on their faces. But before he could answer, Naruto's door swung open revealing Yuuhi Kurenai. She looked at the newcomers with a surprised/shocked expression on her face.

"Um… uh… Naruto-kun's awake now." Kurenai said.

With her statement, both purple-haired kunoichis and the Sandaime Hokage walked inside the room, leaving Kurenai with Kakashi and the closed door. Kakashi looked at Kurenai as if the said Copy Nin was trying to read Kurenai's eyes. From his opinion, there was something evident in those wine-red eyes maybe that was the reason why the Hokage was listening behind Naruto's door.

"Were you've been crying?" Kakashi asked.

Kurenai looked shocked as she faced the floor. "Of course NOT, what are you trying to say?" Kurenai asked.

"Nothing…" Kakashi paused. "Tell me, do you like my Otouto?" Kakashi asked as he stared at the ceiling.

"Huh… What?"

"I was thinking of the possible answers as why were you crying. I had three answers: First, Naruto's health became critical. Second, you were so worried for Naruto-kun's life just like back at Tazuna's house. While the third one was, you're afraid that Naruto will never come back to you ever again because you like him. But I doubt the first one, as we can see awhile ago that Naruto is okay. So now I am drop to my second and third answer. So where back to my original question again. Do you like my Otouto?" Kakashi said like it was a daily basis.

Kurenai was shrinking fast whether it was by embarrassment or something else. She looked at the floor once again.

'_How come I can't answer this lame question?'_

'_**Is it really lame? You did cry awhile ago.' **_Inner Kurenai said.

_**One Hour Before**_

_In room 308, white sheets were slowly shifting. The person beside the one on the bed had a worried look on her face. Her wine-red eyes had a sore look in it making it puffy. The one on the bed was slowly turning and shifting on his bed. The one beside him could hear some murmuring sounds that she couldn't comprehend. On her seat, she saw the one she was watching slowly sat up looking at her as she looked at him as well. The next thing this watcher knew her eyes started to water up as she pulled the one on the bed into a hug. _

"_Kurenai-sensei, what's wrong?" The one on the bed asked as he returned the hug._

_While this watcher was crying, she too was asking herself why she was crying. She gently pulled apart and said. "I-I'm sorry… I think I'll go outside for awhile." Kurenai said quickly as she moved to the door. It only revealed Anko, Yuugao, Kakashi, and the Hokage._

_**Present Time**_

Kurenai sighed. Of all the times her inner self had to show up, why her? "What are you saying, Kakashi?" Kurenai whispered still looking at the floor.

Kakashi smiled. "Piece of advice, try to sort out your feelings before moving in to action." Kurenai looked at Kakashi as he open Naruto's door, leaving her behind.

"Nii-san! Did you bring any of my clothes?" Naruto asked.

"Why bother? Have you looked at yourself on the mirror?" Kakashi said.

"What? Are you stating that I became fat?" Naruto asked which caused Sandaime to chuckle.

"No, from what I can remember you were just around four feet high but now you're almost as tall as Shino, if not, maybe even taller than him." Kakashi said.

"You're kidding me right, how can I become that ta…" Naruto stopped as he saw himself on the mirror with wide eyes. "I think I'll go to the bathroom." Naruto said.

Meanwhile inside the bathroom, Naruto was mentally talking with Kyuubi.

"**Hey Kit, what's up?" **Kyuubi asked as his jailor was practically racing inside the bathroom.

'_**What do you mean "what's up" what did you do to me?'**_ Naruto asked.

"**Oh that! I just messed with your height and etc that's all. I have to admit that Ayeka lady did pull a lot of strings around you." **Kyuubi said like it was a normal thing to say.

Unfortunately for Naruto, he had the urge to faint or to scream. Now fainting would not be a good idea same with screaming as well. After a couple of minutes, he walked back to his room, were a nurse came in with a paper bag in hand and a bouquet of flowers on the other hand.

"You must be Uzumaki Naruto. A package from the counter was delivered awhile ago and here's the note." The nurse said as she was um… checking up on the said patient's well-toned body in Anko's opinion. "It came with the clothes and flowers as well." The nurse added. Soon she left the patient's room for another duty.

The moment the word 'clothes' came out from the nurse's lips, all of the visitors were looking at each other that meant 'that was strange'. They all took noticed that Naruto was smiling as he saw the note. Both Kakashi and Anko got curious who could possibly give Naruto a new set of clothes and a bouquet of 'red' flowers. At the same time, they both took the card from Naruto but when they were about to read it they were thinking the same thing.

'_A blank note..?'_

"What?" Naruto asked with a smirk on his face.

"Is this some kind of a trick, eh Naruto?" Anko asked.

"Give me that." Kakashi said as he activated his Sharingan to see if there was any genjutsu place on the note but he didn't found one.

"There's a genjutsu placed on that note." Naruto said.

"How did you know? I didn't even detect it with my Sharingan!" Kakashi said.

Naruto chuckled while Anko raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer. "How shall I say this… it's a complicated genjutsu all you have to do is to drop a part of the original receiver's blood of that note." Naruto said in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

Yuugao was watching this, obviously intrigued while Sandaime was left sitting on his chair. Naruto was at the front. Anko was about to sliced a part of Naruto's skin but Kakashi and Yuugao stopped the Tokubetsu Jounin before her kunai was about to scratch the blonde's skin.

"What? Naruto-kun said in order to dispel that genjutsu it need Naruto-kun's blood." Anko said.

"It needs a droplet not a cup of blood." Yuugao said but before everyone started to rumble again. Sandaime made his presence known again.

"/AHEM/ Naruto, I'm sure they won't mind if you show them that note later." Sarutobi said but then continued. "There's something I want to see that is if you want Anko-chan and Yuugao-chan to see it as well."

Kakashi knew what was the Hokage was talking about. Probably, that was his main reason why Sandaime was here aside from visiting Naruto. Naruto looked at Kakashi who nodded in response. Naruto sighed and then he took off his shirt. Unknown to him, he got the women's attention through the way Naruto's body moved making his newly formed six packs, courtesy of Ayeka's training, move slowly. He turned his back, revealing his black wings to everybody else. Naruto turned around again to face everyone this time. Nobody had noticed his progress because of his baggy jumpsuit so the ones before him were either speechless or surprised.

"Tell me something that I don't know, Sandaime-jiji. How did I get these wings?" Naruto asked.

"/sighs/ Naruto, those wings came from your Mother's Bloodline. It is in their only lineage to have wings. Unfortunately, her family and clan were slowly vanishing from existence even before the Kyuubi attacked. For now, you are the only one who has that unique bloodline limit. I'm sorry to tell, but I don't know any way to develop your "Kurotenshi Tsubasa (Wings of the Dark Angel)" it's what your Mother's family calls it BUT there's someone that I know who can… hopefully." Sarutobi said which earn him a smile from Naruto.

"A-ano… Sandaime-jiji, do you know who are my parents?" Naruto said.

"Your Mother's name is Yakumo Mizuho; she died giving birth to you. I'm sorry, I can't tell you everything for now I hope you can understand, Naruto-kun." Sarutobi said looking at the blonde.

Naruto gave a small smile and said. "It's better than nothing, right? Besides, I'm sure you'll tell me everything that I need to know when the time comes."

"One more thing, am I allowed to use these wings in the public's eyes?" Naruto asked.

"Seeing that you've activated it in front of your fellow leaf nins, why not? Besides, rumors fly faster than hawks do." Sandaime said with a grin.

Naruto, on the other hand, gave the old man one of his famous fox grins.

"Can we please read that note?" Anko said breaking the moment.

Sarutobi had a visible sweat drop at the back of his head; he just sighed and muttered something about a childish woman. The moment Naruto let a droplet of his blood sink in to the paper; the red stain became the note's ink. Before them was the note's message for them it was kind of written in a different language but Naruto said it was a form of secret messaging and all you have to do was to place the note in front of a mirror. The reflection in the mirror revealed the note's message that said:

_Hey there Gaki, _

_Sorry I can't deliver the clothes my self. But rests assure that I'll be back in the village just like what I've promised you before. Your clothes should fit you well and thank the Kamis that you won't be wearing those horrid-flashy-orange jumpsuits of yours. The color is making me want to burn them with a Katon jutsu, seriously. You'll see me when you'll see me._

_Your sensei, _

_Ayeka_

Naruto smiled as he read the note. '_Ayeka-sensei hadn't forgotten her humor.'_ He thought. He let the note beside the flowers and picked up the new set of clothes Ayeka had given him. After a couple of minutes, everybody saw a new Naruto, who was clad in beige pants and red long sleeved shirt that was hugging his broad shoulders fairly while his hitai-ate was tied at his forehead. This new Naruto now look more advance than the ones in his age group, he no longer had his puppy fats, he grew some of his hair, and most of all he looked like a spitting image of his father.

"Is there something on my face?" Naruto asked.

"Ladies, please stop drooling over my little brother." Kakashi said.

Sarutobi chuckled. "I think I'll go sign your discharge papers. Would you rather come with me, Naruto-kun?" Sandaime said.

"Hai, Oji-san..!" Naruto said as he quickly took the bouquet of red flowers in his arms. He was the one who was practically close to the door. By the time he opened the said door, it revealed Kurenai leaning on the said door. Due to the law of physics, what comes up must come down, right? In a swift moment, Naruto caught Kurenai, one arm at the neck and the other was at her waist, hugging her with the bouquet of 'red' flowers in the process. Kurenai was only supported by Naruto's arms and both of her legs. Unfortunately/fortunately, Kurenai slipped, making Naruto's lips fall down to Kurenai's.

**(I told you what comes up must come down!)**

"Wow Naruto, I didn't know you had it in you." Anko said. With her statement Naruto and Kurenai pulled away fast, both blushing. Naruto was looking at the ceiling then to the window with flushed cheeks by the way, while Kurenai was looking at her trusty floor with red cheeks.

'_Like how many times had I looked at the floor?'_ She asked herself.

Sarutobi chuckled again but this time it was louder than before. "Ha-ha… what would Gai-san say if he saw this?" Sandaime said.

"He'll burst out talking something about the flames of youth is burning within you!" Anko said as she made a good guy pose.

After the good five minutes of laughter, they started walking to the lobby of the hospital. In the front were Sandaime and Naruto who was carrying a bouquet of red flowers which gave him looks from the nurses in the hallways. At the back were, Kakashi who was back to reading his orange book and Kurenai who was back looking at the floor. In front of them were, Anko and Yuugao who were looking at the blonde in front of them.

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**Author's Note/s: **Yosh! (Raises fist at the air) Another chapter done! Hope you all like it… This is my longest chapter ever and I would never try to exceed this far. It beat my chapter 2 which was close to 5,000 words. I would like to thank **antiassansinguy** for helping me out with the idea for naming Naruto-kun's first bloodline for this chapter.

**Next Chapter Feature/s: **It will feature the Chuunin arc and something else or vice versa. Well, since I really don't want to spoil almost everything I'll just shut my mouth now **('x')** Oh before I do shut my self please do send me a review or two. Your reviews are widely appreciated!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	5. Chapter 5

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

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**Chapter 5**

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**Chuunin Exam I**

Team 8, consisting of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uzumaki Naruto, were currently walking at the main streets of Konoha. Two genins were looking at their team mate who apparently hadn't spoken or reacted to any of their discussions. He had been quiet ever since they've walked out his favorite ramen shop.

"This sucks!" The genin with a fury jacket spoke. He looked at his team mate, Naruto, yet again he hadn't reacted. "Oi Naruto, are you okay? You look like you've eaten an expired ramen." Kiba added.

"Yes Naruto, what is wrong?" Hinata asked.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." Naruto replied. Truth be told, he hadn't seen or heard his jounin sensei for almost three (3) days straight since Sandaime gave Team 7 & 8 a 3 days' rest after their mission back at Wave Country.

"If you say so, come on, we don't want to be late at our meeting." With that statement, Kiba and Hinata sprinted up to the roofs. Naruto, on the other hand, was left standing on his place. He hadn't move or something. Was he nervous? Was it because after three days he'll be able to see his jounin sensei? Or was it, he's nervous because of what had happened three days ago back at the hospital? After five seconds, it only registered to his mind that both of his team mates were gone. He immediately ran up to the roofs.

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_One hour ago at the Hokage Tower, people ranging from Tokubetsu Jounins, Elite Jounins, Jounins, and Chuunins, were gathered at the Hokage's Office. "All jounin instructors please come in front." The Sandaime said. Soon, three jounins walked at the front namely, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuuhi Kurenai._

"_Now, among of your teams, who will gladly partake in the coming Chuunin exam?" Sandaime asked._

_Sarutobi Asuma first spoke since he's at the far left of the three jounins. "I would like to enter, Team 10 which consists of Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, and Yamanaka Ino, under the name of Sarutobi Asuma." The chain smoker said._

_Seeing it was Kurenai's turn, she spoke. "Team 8, consists of Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Uzumaki Naruto, under the name of Yuuhi Kurenai." The genjutsu mistress said, direct to the point as always._

_Soon, Kakashi spoke. "Team 7, consists of Aburame Shino, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke, under the name of Hatake Kakashi." Konoha's Copy Nin said._

"_Very well then, you're all dismissed." Sandaime said. Once all the said ninjas were gone, a figure came out from the shadows._

"_Hey there old goat, long time no see." The figure said._

"_Ah… Ayeka, a pleasure to see you again, have you been hiding all along behind your genjutsu?" Sandaime said._

"_Yes I was."_

"_Are you going to stay here, in the village, permanently?" The Hokage asked._

"_Hm… not sure…"_

"_Would you like me to reinstate you as a leaf ninja?" He said._

"_Hmm…" Ayeka said, acting like she was deep in thought and said. "Okay"_

_Sandaime smiled but then frowned. _

"_What rank shall I give you? You're practically __Kage Level__. You could easily take my job without a sweat." Sandaime said with a grin. _

"_You're flattering me, old goat. Just put me in ANBU and I'll be fine." Ayeka said._

"_Are you going to see Naruto-kun?" Sandaime said._

"_Nah… not yet" Ayeka said as she 'poofed' away from the Hokage's Office, leaving the 'old goat' back to his undying paperwork._

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Present time at training ground 19, Naruto came, panting. He looked around at the said training ground only to find himself alone. None of his team mates were there, or were there? He heard a 'poof' from behind. Immediately, he turned around. There, before him was his jounin sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai.

Meanwhile at the top of a 'certain' tree, Kiba and Hinata were there. In front of them was Kakashi who was looking at the people below them. "Kakashi-san, what are you doing? And why did you pull us up here?" Kiba asked.

"Keep your voice down, I can't hear them." Kakashi said.

Kiba was counting mentally whether if he should whack this man before him but then again he just shrugged it off.

Meanwhile, two people at the clearing hadn't spoken with each other. No one even took an initiative for a conversation until _fate_ destined them to be. On top of them, they could see the heavens were starting to rain. They both seek shelter at a 'certain' tree. Naruto was thankful his wings were really handy at times like this. From where they stood, Naruto's wings gave warmth to the said woman next to him as the rain started to fall freely at the earth below.

"A-ano… Sensei, I'm sorry about… you know… what happened back at the hospital three days ago." Naruto said more like a whisper in Kurenai's opinion.

'_His sorry..?'_ Kurenai thought.

"It's alright… I know it was an accident." Kurenai said as she looked at the blonde next to her. From what she saw, Naruto was looking down as if he hadn't heard that he was already forgiven.

"Naruto" Kurenai called.

"Hai, Sensei?" Naruto said as he looked at Kurenai.

"I'm sorry for not acting like a sensei like I'm supposed to be." Kurenai said. Naruto, on the other hand, looked at her with wide eyes.

"What's to say sorry for?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"Naruto, you know what I'm talking about. Let's take for example, back at wave country, was I any help to any of you?" Kurenai asked.

"You were there beside me, Sensei. You're the first and last person I've seen through those times and every time I open my eyes you were there, Kurenai-sensei. That was a great help for me." Naruto said as he looked at the heavens above.

Kurenai was smiling as she looked at the young blonde next to her. "Thank you, Naru-kun." She said.

Naruto gave her one of his famous fox grins and then looked at the heavens above. "Look the rain's gone." He said. They both looked up and saw a rainbow starting to form. It mixed with the sunlight as it shined after the rain. It was a beautiful scene, they both admitted it. It only took them at least five minutes to enjoy the scenery just when they heard a very loud 'crack' from above. Immediately, they both moved away from the falling debris and people? Before them were Hatake Kakashi, Hyuuga Hinata, and Inuzuka Kiba.

"What the heck happened to the three of you?" Naruto asked.

"We um uh…" Kiba started.

"We were trying our stealth skills but unfortunately we fail miserably." Hinata finished.

Both Naruto and Kurenai looked at them then to Kakashi obviously wanting an answer as well. "There was this crow and it was picking on my hitai-ate and I tried to follow it you see…" Kakashi said.

"Right…" Naruto said.

"Aren't you supposed to be with your students?" Kurenai asked.

"Right you are; I'm going now." Kakashi said as he poofed away from them. Naruto just sighed and shook his head.

"Sensei, what are we going to do today? Do we have a mission?" Kiba asked changing the topic.

"No missions. I have something for the three of you." Kurenai said as she brought out three pieces of paper which turned out to be a chuunin exam permit. "There's an upcoming Chuunin exam, I've entered the three of you. So, don't lose that permit, got that?" Kurenai said.

"Yes Ma'am!" Kiba said while Naruto did the good guy pose. Hinata and Kurenai smiled at the comical pair.

"Let's go to Ichiraku's to celebrate!" Naruto said which earned him a nod from Kiba, a chuckle from Hinata, a bark from Akamaru, and a smile from Kurenai. On their half way to the said ramen stand they heard a familiar shout from the corner of a street just near to their spot.

"Ah… let go of me!" A young boy's voice cried out.

"If you say so…" A male teenager's voice said. Team 8 managed to saw this guy threw the boy, Konohamaru, near the trash can but someone came just to catch the boy in time.

Konohamaru looked up and saw his savior. "NARUTO..!"

"I'll ask you nicely, apologize to my friend." Naruto said as he set down Konohamaru.

"Oh yea, what if I don't?" The boy with a face paint said.

Just before Naruto could spoke, everyone heard a sound of swirling sand just above the tree.

"Kankuro, apologize to them." A voice rang out.

The said boy, Kankuro, looked frantic. He just sighed and apologized to Konohamaru and to Naruto.

"Who are you?" The boy with red hair asked. Both of his companions looked with wide eyes.

'_Gaara never ask someone's name before.'_ The blond kunoichi thought.

'_Gaara, what are you doing?'_ Kankuro thought.

"Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto; and you are?" Naruto said as he took a couple of steps in front of them.

"Sabaku no Gaara, I'll be expecting you in the Chuunin Exam, Uzumaki Naruto." Gaara said.

Both sand siblings swore they saw Gaara's lips form a small smile but it quickly faded away. They saw this Naruto walked to them, waiting for their names to be said.

"Sabaku no Kankuro, Gaara's older brother." Kankuro said.

"Sabaku no Temari..." The blonde haired kunoichi said. She saw the blonde boy bowed as courtesy and said.

"Nice to meet you all… Gaara-san, Kankuro-san and… Temari-san…" Naruto said as he smiled to them.

Kankuro, on the other hand, could swear his sister was blushing at the said blonde boy who was before them. He looked at his sister, Temari, then to Naruto who was back with his team mates and Jounin sensei, not even noticing Temari's stare at the blonde boy. Kankuro smiled and held her big sister over the shoulder.

"Love at first sight, eh Temari?" Kankuro whispered.

Gaara, on the other hand, was back from being stoic as he watched the blonde's retreating back. There was something inside of him that he felt, something feral just like him. He had thought.

"**Hey Kit, that boy Gaara, I feel something in him. It's the same feeling when we first saw that girl Haku." **Kyuubi said through their mental link.

'_**Yea me too, it's like he's carrying something, something demonic.' **_Naruto replied as they continued to walked pass the streets.

"**Piece of advice, keep your guard up." **Kyuubi said.

'_**Yea I'll do that I have to go now.'**_ Naruto said as he cut the mental link.

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The next day, it was early in the morning. Many chuunin hopefuls reached the gates of Konoha. Some came from the Hidden Village of the Rain, Sand, and Sound.

Team 8 noticed a couple of familiar participants just around the hallways. They too were looking at the other genin teams. Naruto noticed the Sand Nins they've met yesterday.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kiba asked.

"I'll just greet a couple of people." Naruto said.

Team 8 including Kurenai saw where was Naruto going… to the Sand siblings.

Temari saw the blonde boy they've met yesterday. He was walking at their direction. Kankuro noticed where was Temari looking. He just remained calm and waited what could happen next.

"Good morning..!" Naruto greeted with a smile on his face.

The only ones who greeted him were Kankuro and Temari. Gaara, apparently, was quiet behind the other two siblings along with Baki, the Sand Nins jounin instructor.

Temari saw Naruto walked up to her, his face closing to hers. Now, everybody's attention was drawn to them. They could see Naruto's face coming closer and closer to this (blushing) blonde kunoichi. Most of the people were anticipating at what could happen next. Will he kiss her in front of everybody else? Even Gaara and Baki were watching. Not to mention, the other members of Team 8 with their jounin instructor, Yuuhi Kurenai, were also watching.

By this point, Temari could be seen as red as a tomato. She was looking at the blonde's cerulean eyes, his face closing every second of the time.

Four inches

Three inches

Two inches until…

"You have dango sauce on your chin." Naruto said as he pointed out the said dango sauce with his index finger.

After a couple of minutes, the sound of nothingness could be heard. Everybody was too coped up whether this blonde boy was going to kiss this other blonde girl. But then he just said "there's dango sauce on your chin" and left the blonde girl to her feet. Some people were looking at the blonde boy and then to the girl. The blonde boy, Naruto, was walking back to his team while the blonde girl, Temari, was looking like a statue on the viewer's perspective. Some whispered "did she anticipate for a kiss?" or "that girl got it bad… big time".

Kiba and Hinata were looking/staring/glaring at Naruto. "What?" Naruto asked.

"How did you do that?" Kiba asked but his question got dumped when Hinata interrupted.

"You've practically embarrassed Temari-san, Naruto." Hinata said.

"B-b-b-but I didn't do anything." Naruto said but then he realized that Kurenai was gone. "Hey, have you seen Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"She walked away just when you were about to kiss that Sand Nin." Kiba said.

"I wasn't gonna kiss her I SWEAR!" Naruto said. This caused some people to look at their direction.

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Currently, inside room number 301, genin teams were waiting for the said exam to start. It was until they heard a loud crash at door revealing two Tokubetsu Jounins namely, Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki. The said scarred man was muttering something about a crazy woman but he just shrugged it off. The genin teams were waiting for them to talk but they just stood there silent staring at the young genins before them. It was as if they were trying to make them quit just before the exam starts.

Some were frightened, nervous, and stoic. But it only got worse when two female ANBUs came. There was something about the other ANBU, though. She wasn't wearing any animal mask unlike her fellow ANBU. The said mysterious ANBU had a black mask, no markings, not a single color except black, a shiny black to be exact. Naruto was currently staring at the black masked ANBU. There was something about her that was strangely familiar. He only stopped looking at the said ANBU when he felt a strong pain in his head.

'_Impossible!'_ He thought as he looked back at the black masked ANBU. _'It is her!'_

"Naruto, you okay man? Who are you staring at?" Kiba asked as he tried to look where Naruto was looking at. _'The black masked ANBU?'_ Kiba thought.

"I'm fine. Though, ah… never mind." Naruto said.

After a couple of minutes, two familiar people walked inside the room namely, Momochi Zabuza and Haku.

"Err… sorry were late." The half masked man said while Haku just smiled.

Ibiki looked at the black masked ANBU and the said ANBU walked in front of a genin. The genin who apparently came from the rain village was looking nervously at the ANBU before him. He could even see his reflection on the black mask. He didn't even know he was already pinned to the wall. He looked at the side but the ANBU's hand was blocking his sight, her palm connecting to the wall. The genin could hear some unknown sound coming from the ANBU's hand. He saw it move away slowly but the thing that caught his eyes was a sword coming out of the wall. The said genin was terrified while the others were stuck from where they stood.

'_Maybe that's the reason why she doesn't bring any weapons because she could make one in no time.'_ Ibiki thought. "So… is there anyone of you would like to quit now before the exam starts?" Ibiki asked.

Automatically, some genin teams walked out room number 301 including the Rain Nins. Only the Sand, Sound, and the Leaf genin teams were left to take the exam.

"Let's begin." Ibiki said with a maniacal grin on his face.

Soon, terror seemed to have walked inside the room. The killer intent being emitted by the examiners were enough to make some of the genins frightened. They were still inside room 301. The genins saw the other examiners walked out the room, leaving Ibiki, Haku, and Zabuza. Some genins thought it would be a written exam since they were inside a classroom. The genins saw their examiners gave some test papers to the genins.

Naruto looked at the said paper which stated:

_This is a trial run. After twenty minutes you will have to run and escape this building. Think it could be possible?_ _If you got caught, you and your team will __fail__._

_Time starts… now._

Naruto read the paper over and over again. Was that a joke? There's a Tokubetsu Jounin in front of us. Two jounins not to mention the other jounin is a jinchuuriki. Was there a loophole to this test?

'_If we don't run we'll also fail. But if we run outside this room… what will happen?'_ Naruto thought.

The twenty minutes was closing in. They could see the examiners getting themselves ready for whatever ruckus this group of genins could possibly do. Everybody was looking tense well some were. Naruto looked at the sand genins. He was surprised that Gaara was looking at him. His eyes were different from the ones Naruto first saw. It changed drastically. Naruto turned and looked at Team 7. He was once again surprised to see Sasuke looking at him, similar to Gaara's. Naruto turned again. This time, he noticed both Team 10 and Team Gai were waiting calmly for the twenty minutes probably they already had a plan for this try run just like Team 8.

Kiba smirked when Naruto was about to do "phase one" of their plan. The Kage bushin no Jutsu, soon, the room was filled with at least fifty bushins making their way to the exit. At the very same moment, Kiba and Hinata henged to look like Naruto while the other genin teams took this opportunity to escape as well.

The examiners only opened one stair way for every floor, making it difficult for the genins to navigate which path they should take. The hall ways were like a maze connected to a single exit. Currently, Team 8 was running at the hall ways of the third floor. Suddenly, they stopped. In front of them were two Elite Jounins namely, Maito Gai, the green beast and Sarutobi Asuma, the chain smoker.

"Answer our question and we shall let you pass. If you got a wrong answer, I'm afraid you'll have to deal with us." Asuma said.

"Give us the question then." Naruto said.

"How many animals were there in the note?" Asuma asked.

'_What Animal? It was clearly an instruction.'_ Kiba thought. Kiba looked at his team mates who were thinking.

"I don't think there are any animals in that note." Hinata said disappointed.

Naruto looked at both examiners and said. "Two. There are two animals in the note." He said. Awhile ago he was scanning the note in his mind.

_This is a try run. After twenty minutes you will have to run and esc__**ape**__ this building. Thin__**k it**__ could be possible? If you got caught you and your team will __fail__._

_Time starts… now._

It only revealed two animals namely, the ape, and the kit.

"YOSH..! YOU MAY ALL PASS..!" Gai said… err… shouted. Asuma just congratulated them with a smile.

"How did you know there are two animals in that note?" Kiba asked.

They were currently running at the maze-like corridors of the second floor. "Maybe it was just my luck." Naruto said.

"Yea right..." Kiba said while Hinata settled for a chuckle.

They managed to pass the second question being given by Kakashi and an unknown cat masked ANBU. It only took them a couple of minutes to answer that question once again thanks to Naruto. Team 8 had been wondering what this test was for. They were currently running at the first floor corridors. They also took notice that they were the only ones running at the first floor. Or did somebody already come before them?

Once again they stopped. Before them were Yuuhi Kurenai, the genjutsu mistress and the mysterious black masked ANBU. The genins saw the black masked ANBU walked slowly to their direction. She placed her right palm to her arm pad and in front of them she pulled out a kunai out of the arm pad. It was like alchemy, very advance alchemy. They saw her stopped and pointed the kunai at Naruto.

"I want you to answer my question." The black masked ANBU commanded. Naruto was trying to look behind the mask but the only thing he could see was his reflection. "Tell me, Genin. What is the code of the shinobi and what is its purpose?" The black masked ANBU said. Kurenai, on the other hand, was plain shocked.

'_This wasn't the question. What the heck is she doing?'_ Kurenai thought.

Naruto looked down, thinking.

'_Come on Naruto don't disappoint me.'_ The ANBU thought.

Naruto was remembering the times when Ayeka was still with him, teaching him. He remembered the day she healed his wounds back when he was still five years old. He remembered the day she started teaching him. The first lesson was the history of Konoha. He remembered himself asking Ayeka this question that caused him a whack at the head.

"_A-ano sa… Ayeka-sensei?"_

"_What is it Naruto-kun?" Ayeka asked._

"_Why did you help me yesterday?" The blonde boy asked as he looked down._

_Ayeka smiled. "Being a shinobi you must protect the ones you love, you must be loyal to them, treat them as if they are a part of your heart. I want you to remember that, Naruto-kun." Ayeka said._

_Naruto was about to say that she didn't even answer his question but then he realized what Ayeka had said "you must protect the ones you love" was he one of those she cared for? He didn't have to ask that it was clearly obvious. "I'll definitely gonna remember that, Ayeka-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed._

"_Keep your voice down, will you?" Ayeka said as she brought both of her index fingers on her temples._

"_Why? Are you feeling your age, old hag?" Five years old Naruto said._

"_What did you just called me?" Ayeka twitched he eyebrow._

"_You're starting to get deaf, old hag." Naruto said. This time Ayeka's fist was rumbling like mad. Naruto noticed it and started to run off. But immediately Ayeka caught him quite easily. Not even using a single percent of her strength, she just whacked the hell out of the five year old. _

"_That will teach you not to call me, old hag."_

Currently, Naruto was looking down but this time he had a grin on his face. When he looked up to see the black masked ANBU. He said. "Being a shinobi you must protect the ones you love, you must be loyal to them, treat them as if they are a part of your heart." Naruto said with a fox grin on his face.

"You three can proceed now." She said with calmness in her tone.

Soon, Team 8 walked out the building. They were the first to walk out the said building. After a couple of minutes they saw the Sand Nins walked out then Team 7 and after fifteen minutes they saw Team 10 and Team Gai walking out at the same time. Soon, they were greeted by a kunoichi named Mitarashi Anko.

'_Hmm… 19 genins managed to pass… that ANBU's test was something. I couldn't agree more.'_ Anko thought with a maniacal grin on her face.

"Hey Naruto, she's not our second examiner is she?" Kiba whispered. He gulped when he saw that grin Anko was doing.

"I'm the hot, sexy, and still single, Mitarashi Anko. I'll be your second examiner."

"Did that answer your question?" Naruto said.

"You..!" Anko said as she threw a kunai at a genin.

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**Disclaimer:** Naruto is not mine.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

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_**Previously on "The Dokushinsha"**_

_Soon, Team 8 walked out the building. They were the first to walk out the said building. After a couple of minutes they saw the Sand Nins and Sound Nins walked out then Team 7 and after fifteen minutes they saw Team 10 and Team Gai walking out at the same time. Soon, they were greeted by a kunoichi named Mitarashi Anko._

'_Hmm… 19 genins managed to pass… that ANBU's test was something. I couldn't agree more.' Anko thought with a maniacal grin on her face._

"_Hey Naruto, she's not our second examiner is she?" Kiba whispered. He gulped when he saw that grin Anko was doing._

"_I'm the hot, sexy, and still single, Mitarashi Anko. I'll be your second examiner."_

"_Did that answer your question?" Naruto said._

_"You..!" Anko said as she threw a kunai at a genin._

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**Chapter 6**

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**Chuunin Exam II**

The said genin didn't move or even caught the kunai yet he did manage not to get hurt. Now everybody's attention flew fast to the said genin. Before them was Uzumaki Naruto with a pair of black wings at his back that served as a shield from the kunai. Anko smirked. Naruto saw the said Tokubetsu Jounin walk closely to where he sat. She bended her posture a little bit, making her face the same level with Naruto's.

Kiba, on the other hand, was watching nervously same with the other genins. He could see this Mitarashi Anko move her face closely to Naruto's but one thing he didn't saw, Anko's hand.

Anko's grin grew even wider; it was making the other genins scared. Now her face was close to Naruto's ear.

"Got cha…" Anko whispered.

Naruto's eyes grew wide. He felt something at his cheek. It was as if something had sliced it and it was now drawing blood.

Now it was everybody's turn to get shocked. They could see this second examiner on top of Uzumaki Naruto, licking his blood. The event was sickening. They could just imagine if this second examiner was crazy enough, they would have to expect the unexpected.

Anko withdrew herself from Naruto who had a mix expression on his face. Anko, on the other hand, still had the maniacal grin on her face. She looked at the genins before her but now with seriousness in her eyes. She held out a couple of forms and said. "Sign these forms." She said as she gave the forms to the genins.

"A-ano Mitarashi-san, what are these forms for?" Anko saw a pink haired girl asked.

"Those forms will state that you will be responsible for your own death." Anko replied. She turned her heel to face the other genins. "Now, this is the second stage of your exam. Welcome to the Forest of Death." She grinned. "You will have to apply all of your survival skills to be able to pass this exam. Your goal is to get the scrolls, specifically, the Heaven and Earth scrolls. If your team got the Heaven scroll you are assigned to get the Earth scroll and so on and so forth. I don't care how you complete this test. Once you got all specific scrolls you will proceed to the Tower at the middle of the Forest. You only have five days and five nights to complete your entire given task." Anko said. After a couple of minutes all genin teams were positioned to their designated gates.

Once the gates were opened, they all saw Team 8 flew pass their designated gate courtesy of Naruto's wings. Surely, they will have a head start for this test just like awhile ago. Everybody was convinced that this Uzumaki Naruto was different from the Uzumaki Naruto they knew before they should have to keep their guards up if they crossed Team 8's path.

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Currently with Team 8, they landed safe just above a branch.

"Who should hold the scroll?" Kiba asked.

"Naruto should, he can protect the scroll." Hinata said.

"True" Kiba said as he and Hinata looked at their team mate, who was thinking as well.

"No" Naruto said. "They'll expect the scroll will be in my possession. Kiba should hold the scroll." He said.

"Are you sure?" Kiba asked. He saw Naruto nod while Hinata smiled.

Just when they were about to sprint away, they all heard a scream near their area.

"AH..!" It screamed again.

Team 8 saw their fellow genin, Haruno Sakura. She was running for her team mate, Uchiha Sasuke, who looked like he was dead. They also noticed Shino trying to defend both of his team mates from a snake-like creature.

The snake-like creature was grinning at the young Aburame.

Shino wasn't expecting a sword come flashing out of his mouth but something was off. Shino looked up to see, Uzumaki Naruto. Once again his wings were used as a defense.

"You…" The snake-like creature said. Inside his twisted mind, his thoughts were racing frankly. _'This boy… he can't be… they were all wiped out! It's impossible!'_ He thought.

"I'll leave Sasuke-kun to you. I'm sure he'll come asking for me." The snake-like creature said as he took his leave.

Naruto was about to go after the said man but Kiba and Hinata stopped him. Naruto looked back at Team 7. He kneeled in front of Sasuke's unconscious form; he noticed a mark at his neck. He looked at Sakura and said. "What happened to him?"

"Sasuke-kun got attacked by the snake-like man, he… h-h-he… bit Sasuke-kun at the neck." Sakura said between sobs.

Naruto sighed and walked back to his team mates, who were currently aiding Shino. The said Aburame tried to fend off his team mates against the said snake-like man. Out of no where a group of Sound Nins came. They were obviously looking for another scroll as they proclaimed. Their female team mate noticed the genin who had a long silky pink hair. Kin Tsuchi was her name; she has been irritated by this genin.

'_She wasn't even fit being a kunoichi.'_ She thought.

"Give us your scroll." Said the other genin, his name was Zaku Abumi.

"What if we don't?" Kiba asked.

"You'll die!" Zaku shouted while his female team mate, Kin, ran to Sakura. Their other team mate, Dosu Kinata, was staring at the blonde genin. Sakura didn't have any time to dodge the attack being given to her. She could feel her hair being pulled as she struggled to get away. Team 8 was about to help Sakura but Zaku interrupted them. Zaku created a wind like-barrier in front of Team 8. They could see the way that female Sound Nin beat Sakura, her hair cut by Kin's kunai.

Naruto, on the other hand, was feeling something vaguely familiar, something he had felt before but what? He activated his wings as he ran for Sakura, who was on the process of hitting the nearby tree. By the time he laid her at the ground with his team mates, he told them to help Sakura. Meanwhile, Kiba and Hinata could swear they saw something inside Naruto's eyes, something that looked like slits, black slits to be exact. They took notice that the surroundings were changing as if they were inside a genjutsu but the thing is… it felt real. The Sound team looked at the blonde boy in front of them. They could see nothing from his face which only bore a neutral one.

Both Zaku and Kin were stuck watching the blonde before them.

'_There was something about those eyes.'_ They thought.

They both took a step back but they were surprised to find themselves stuck on their feet. They couldn't even speak. They just saw the blonde boy walked up to them.

"You've hurt someone who's incapable of defending herself and yet you abused her." Naruto said to the kunoichi.

Then, he looked at the shinobi before him. "You… seeing as she was helpless yet you still interfered, you wanted to see her die… slowly. I'll give you that." Naruto said and this time he turned to both Sound Nins.

"You'll pay for your deceit." Naruto said.

By the time he turned his heel, he could hear the screams coming from both Sound Nins.

Dosu, on the other hand, was in panic. Panic for his team mates and panic for his life. He didn't even saw this blonde boy form any hand seals and yet he managed to immobilize both of his team mates. Not to mention, he managed to make them suffer with an unknown jutsu that seemed like a genjutsu.

"Wait!" He said.

Naruto stopped with his tracks and turned again to face the other Sound Nin. "Let my team mates go… I'll give you our scroll in return." Dosu said.

Naruto looked at him. He saw the said Nin was handing out their team's scroll. Naruto promptly took it and soon Kin and Zaku were dropped down to the ground panting. Both too tired to stand up or even continue with their consciousness. They lay there unconscious as Dosu saw it. He just carried both of his team mates away from them.

Once the Sound Nins were gone, they saw Naruto fell to his knees just when his wings dissipated. For now, Team 8 has 2 scrolls, specifically, both Heaven and Earth scrolls. Unknown to them, a group of genins were watching the whole fiasco. Even they felt the amount of power Naruto displayed awhile ago. Kiba was currently carrying his team mate, Naruto, as they sprinted up to the trees on their way to the said Tower.

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On the said Tower, Team 8 was greeted by a puzzle or something like a riddle. It only came to them when Kiba accidentally opens both said scrolls when he dropped Naruto due to exhaustion. He cursed himself when a cloud of smoke appeared in front of them only to reveal… Umino Iruka.

"Yo! You're a bit early anyways come in, there are medics inside and rooms to rest in and if you're hungry there's also food." Iruka said not even noticing the unconscious blonde until…

"Iruka-sensei, help Naruto quick..!" Kiba shouted.

Soon, the chuunin turned back and carried Naruto inside the tower. Kurenai and the other jounins saw Iruka running with a blonde ninja in his arms. This caused Kurenai and other jounins namely, Anko and Kakashi, to go after the said chuunin and to see if Naruto was alright.

"What happened to him?" Kurenai asked her students.

"We don't know… at first we thought he'd gone berserk then the next thing… he fell unconscious." Kiba said as he tried to calm Hinata from crying.

Kurenai sighed. She just sat next to Naruto who was still sleeping.

"_You were there beside me, Sensei. You're the first and last person I've seen through those times. And every time I open my eyes you were there, Kurenai-sensei. That was a great help for me." Naruto said as he looked at the heavens above._

Kurenai remembered those words as she watched Naruto's sleeping form. It was like what had happened back at Wave country. She was thankful that he didn't suffer from any injuries unlike before. Was she getting all worried again? It was normal though as she thought this was her student lying unconscious in front of her. She would do the same with Hinata and Kiba. This made her decision to stay with them until the five given days for this stage ended. They still have 4 days to go that would be enough for a good rest.

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After Team 8 had finished the second task, they were given the opportunity to take a break. They found out that the Sand Nins came first before them and in after two days Team 7 came. Sasuke was still unconscious. Kakashi immediately recognized the marking on Sasuke's neck. He promptly moved his team to a room, separately, just like the other teams. It was also on the second day Team Gai and Team 10 alongside with a single Sound genin came, and on the third day, the Sound team came.

Meanwhile, Sakura was outside Sasuke's room. In front of her was Kakashi, he was telling the pink head that Sasuke can't see any visitors and he's still unconscious. But Sakura was still protesting but then stopped. She looked at the floor that seemed to be getting blurry, in her point of view. Kakashi sighed as he looked at his distressed student. He just walked inside Sasuke's room. There was still someone in her mind she had to visit, Naruto. Sakura never saw Naruto to get serious. She could still remember the time he saved her when she was about to hit the nearby tree. She couldn't help but to wonder.

'_What was Kurenai-san's feeling when she flew with Naruto?'_

Sakura smiled as she went with her merry way to visit the said blonde. By the time she was near to the said room, there was something about it. There were people in front of Naruto's room. There was this girl named Haku, and then Kiba and Hinata, Shino was there too, even Ino was there.

Wait!

Stop!

Freeze!

Rewind!

Ino's there?

Sakura would understand why Kiba, Hinata, and Shino were there and she would slightly understand why Haku was there but for Ino… there was a BIG question mark at the end of that statement. She walked closely but then she didn't even notice that there were two kunoichis at the back. There was this Leaf Nin. Sakura noticed that the said Leaf Nin was from Lee's Team; her name was Ten-Ten as far as Sakura could remember Ten-ten was, after all, from the early graduating class. Then there was this Sand Nin. For Sakura, that Sand Nin was a mystery to her.

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Meanwhile inside Naruto's room, Naruto was widely awake but Kurenai was not letting him go after what had happened since it was still a mystery to Kurenai. Naruto noticed that they were alone in the room. He couldn't help but to look at his sensei, who was pilling an apple with a knife.

"A-ano… Kurenai-sensei, where's Hinata and Kiba, are they alright?" Naruto asked.

Kurenai didn't look at him but then she replied. "They are perfectly fine, Naruto-kun. Apple?" Kurenai said as she offered the said fruit to him. At first, it tasted sweet then slowly it was gone like cotton candy only apple flavored.

Once he was done eating, Naruto was looking at the white sheets which were covering half of his body. He couldn't help but to feel uneasy being alone with a full grown woman beside him. But why feel this now? They have been alone in her house but short lived. They have been alone back at Tazuna's house twice but once again short lived. They have been alone at their training ground but then short lived. There was only this one time back at the park. It wasn't short lived, cut, or even interrupted. That was one of the best nights Naruto had.

"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" Kurenai asked for the fifth time.

Naruto, apparently, hadn't answered since he was busy staring at the white sheets. "Eh?" He asked.

Kurenai moved closely it's as if she was studying his facial reactions but then sighed. She was about to stand up when suddenly the door swung open, making the occupants of the room surprised while the ones at the door were shocked from what they were seeing. It only became worse when Anko, Kakashi, and Zabuza came in.

_Awhile ago, when Kurenai was about to stand up, the door swung open immediately, making the occupants of the room surprised as hell it would be. The ninjas saw Kurenai on top of a shirtless Naruto! Immediately, Kurenai separate herself from the said blonde, both speechless and blushing by the way._

"Way to get Naruto-kun, Kurenai…" Anko said.

"That was interesting." Zabuza said with a chuckle.

"Very… interesting indeed" Kakashi added.

This caused the genjutsu mistress to become red while the other genins were looking at their second examiner. It hit them hard when they remembered that this woman was the one who licked Naruto's cheek! Their line of sight turned to Naruto. It was just now that they realized that he grew, literally. He wasn't the 5'2" blonde teenager who had puppy fats back then, Naruto was now the 5'6" young man who had well defined physique. And to think, he was only 14 years old!

"How's Sasuke?" Naruto asked, trying to change the topic.

"He's fine… he's still asleep, though." Kakashi said.

But before Naruto could ask anymore questions, he was tackled by Kiba and Akamaru. "Naruto, how did you do that genjutsu trick you pulled back there at the Forest? That was so cool man!" Kiba asked.

"What genjutsu trick?" Naruto asked, looking confused.

"You don't remember?" Kiba asked in awe.

"No hehe… so what did I do again?" Naruto asked.

Everyone was confused, including the ones who didn't get to see what really happened.

"Why won't you tell us what really happened, Kiba-kun?" Kurenai asked.

Kiba nodded and started to tell what happened back at the Forest of Death.

"That wasn't what really happened!" Ino said.

She interrupted Kiba when he was at the part when Naruto was about to be thrown at the near by tree which did not happen. Even Sakura was nodding in agreement.

"Naruto-_kun_ didn't get thrown at a tree! He was saving forehead girl." Ino added.

"Oh yea..? As far from what I can remember, you weren't there! Ho-ho-ho… Wait a second here, since when there was a 'kun' at Naruto's name?" Kiba asked. Immediately, all eyes turn to Ino.

"Um… uh… could you please continue with the story?" Naruto asked, making his presence known again.

They were about to continue when Hinata interrupted. "Let me continue." She said.

Everyone sighed and nodded in response while there were two people who hadn't stop glaring at each other.

Soon, Hinata started to narrate the whole story in every detail. No one interrupted since it was what really happened. By the time she was done narrating the whole story, everybody including Naruto was shocked.

"I did what?" Naruto asked, disbelieving.

"You practically saved us, Naruto-_kun_." Sakura said. "For that, I thank you." She said as she hugged him.

"Err… it's really nothing, Sakura." Naruto said as he moved away from the said girl and walked up to his clothes. But before he could even put on his clothes, he swore he could feel a warm hand touching his bare back. He quickly turned around and surprised to say he saw Haku and Anko, both grinning at him.

"That's a cool looking tattoo you got there, Naruto-kun." Haku said.

"Has anyone ever told you, you look so hot without your shirt, eh Naruto-kuuun?" Anko said, dragging the 'kun' purposely. From what she was seeing, she was definitely enjoying every detail of it. Too bad there were people around here but then again maybe she would just love the audiences' expressions.

Let's take for example:

'_Whoa…'_ (Kiba, Kakashi, and Zabuza)

'_What the heck!'_ (Sakura, Ino, Ten-ten, Temari, and Kurenai)

'…' (Shino and Hinata)

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Early in the morning, ninjas were already inside a covered stadium. Some were waiting for their names to be called. The referee said awhile ago that they were in need to cut off the number of participants since there were an odd number of participants in the Chuunin exam. Surprisingly, a genin from Otogakure raise his hand. He just said that his chakra reserves were low so he had to quit.

Awhile ago the first match was with Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino which ended up as a draw. Then the second match came, it was Sabaku no Kankuro versus Ten-ten. The match ended up Kankuro as the winner much to Ten-ten's dismay. Once the winner was decided they call upon the third match, it was Sabaku no Temari versus Kin Tsuchi. Kin's attack was no match against Temari's long range attacks and as a result Temari was the victor. The fourth match came; it was Sabaku no Gaara versus Zaku Abumi. The match ended up fast, Zaku almost getting killed without any remorse coming from his opponent, Gaara. After their match everyone fell silent even the other Sand Nins were quiet. After the eerie silence the fifth match came, it was Rock Lee versus Akimichi Chouji. As a result, Lee was declared the winner.

Currently, everybody was watching Kiba and Sasuke's match. Kiba and Akamaru already formed the Juujin Bushin. Soon, there were two tornado-like spinning to its opponent, Sasuke. Sasuke's next move caught everyone off guard.

"That was my…" Lee said. There was no mistake that was Lee's "Konoha Senpuu". Sasuke might have copied it while Lee was battling against Chouji.

Kiba's "Gatsuuga" was immediately stopped even though Kiba was spinning Sasuke managed to stop it during the aerial attack. Kiba had no choice but to quit. He already lost a lot of chakra from the attack. He would soon faint if he continued. He looked up to his team mates and Jounin sensei. It was clear to them that what was happening to him during the fight.

"I quit." He said. Soon, Sasuke was declared as the winner.

Kiba walked up to his team mates with a low face, obviously disappointed with the result of the fight. But his team mates were smiling at him. Naruto walked up to him and said. "You were great and that was enough for us!" Naruto said as he patted Kiba's back several times, causing him to fall to the floor. He looked up only to find both of his team mates and Jounin sensei smiling at him. He too smiled back.

After their little get together, the next match was already being called by the referee. They were Aburame Shino and Hyuuga Hinata. Both said competitors walked up to the arena, both studying each other.

Slowly, Shino called out his destruction bugs while Hinata activated her Byakugan. The match hadn't even started yet and both competitors were getting ready.

"This should be interesting." Naruto said.

"How so..?" Kiba asked.

Naruto just smirked and said. "How much would you bet if this match ended up as a draw?"

Kiba just looked at him with a confused look on his face. _'What was he trying to say?'_ He thought.

Meanwhile back with Shino and Hinata, the referee looked at both competitors and said. "Fight"

Shino called out his destruction bugs for a direct attack but with Hinata's Byakugan, Hinata managed to counter the attack. She was about to land a hit on Shino when suddenly he turned out to be a mere clone of his bugs. Now, she was practically covered by Shino's Kikkai bugs blinding her view.

'_He could be anywhere…'_ Hinata thought.

With that thought in her mind she shouted. "You are under my divination…" She said. Soon, there were Kikkai bugs everywhere. Unknown to her she managed to hit Shino with quite a number, closing his tenketsus at the same time. Shino didn't even get a chance to attack since he made it fly away. The referee was looking at both competitors and decided to call it a draw. By the time the referee called it a draw, both ninjas collapsed at the arena. Shino suffered from internal blows and muscle pains while Hinata suffered from chakra exhaustion. They were both carried away by the stretchers and soon another match was going to be held.

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"Uzumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Neji" The referee called.

Soon, both competitors were at the arena. It was like the most anticipated match of the elimination round. Neji was looking at Naruto. He could still remember Hinata's story during their genin test. It was on that day he accepted Naruto as a rival but not an equal.

"I've waited for this time to come. It seems that fate wanted us to fight. Too bad fate already chose me as the victor." Neji said with a grin.

Naruto just smiled at the sarcasm. "As far from what I can see I'm still standing here, Neji-san." Naruto said. He noticed Neji's reaction and boy was he pissed. Without a second or two, Neji attacked Naruto with his Jyuken. Neji was about to attack again but surprised to say, his attacks were useless when he saw a pair of black wings covering Naruto's whole body. By the time the said wings was gone, Naruto had a different look on his face. He had the same look back at the Forest of Death. The same black slits In Naruto's eyes.

"Kiba, look at Naruto's eyes… isn't that the same with the ones back at the Forest of Death?" Hinata asked.

Kiba stared at it for a couple of seconds. It was the same he had to admit but there was a slight difference in it. "Yes but…" Kiba said.

"You recognized it too?" Hinata asked.

"Un" Kiba nodded. "It's like his eyes didn't have any glow. It's like as if he's hypnotized or something." Kiba said.

Kurenai was listening at her students' conversation. She just kept silent as she watched Naruto's fight. She noticed Naruto's moves it was as if he's dancing at the stage. Naruto was just evading every attack that Neji was giving him. It was like a child's play for Naruto.

Back with Naruto and Neji's fight, Naruto was standing there as well as Neji. They stopped fighting just when Neji realized something. Naruto's wings serves as a shield just like Gaara's sand but was it just for defense. This was the first time Neji saw Naruto use those wings in battle. Neji kept his cool; he didn't want to look like a fool in this match. He was a Hyuuga after all.

"Let's end this, Naruto-san." Neji said as he took a familiar stance.

It was the "Hakkeshou: Kaiten" as Naruto thought. "Let's Neji-san" Naruto said as he waited for the incoming attack.

"KAITEN" Shouted Neji. Soon he was spinning towards Naruto. Team 8 was yelling out for Naruto to move out the way but he just stood there, eyes closed. It was as if he was anticipating for the attack.

'_There it goes again!'_ Neji thought. Before him was Naruto covered by his black wings. Neji was attacking but then his spin was starting to slow down. He was caught off guard, literally. Naruto managed to catch him by the neck. Even the spectators were surprised as to how this blonde genin managed to grab Neji by the neck. Even with Neji's Jyuken, he couldn't detach himself from Naruto's grip. The only thing he could see from Naruto was his eyes, those blue eyes with black slits in it. There was something about it that made his body immobilized. It was like the Sharingan but it's far from different. Neji could feel his air starting to decrease and it wasn't Naruto's grip. It's like it came from the inside. It was like there's something burning inside of him. Neji collapsed just when Naruto let him go. He was coughing real hard; beads of sweat seemed to form on his forehead. He looked at Naruto just when the referee declared Naruto as the winner. There he saw again, those pair of blue eyes with black slits. His wings dissipated again as he walked back to his team mates. He saw him stopped and looked at him.

"Fate doesn't choose your path… remember that, Neji-san." Naruto said. There Neji saw Naruto's retreating back.

Meanwhile, the Hokage watched the whole match starting from the first then to the last, Uzumaki Naruto's fight against Hyuuga Neji. Sandaime was pleased yet disturbed. He was pleased that Naruto won but he couldn't help but to wonder about those eyes that Naruto possessed during the fight. It was disturbing because he had heard some rumors that Naruto had used it but from what he had heard this was different. Sandaime motioned an ANBU to come. It was the black masked ANBU.

"Do you mind telling me what that was?" Sandaime said.

The ANBU didn't hesitate to answer. "That was Naruto-kun's second bloodline, the Jagan (Evil Eyes). It compliments with the Kurotenshi Tsubasa. Those bloodlines came from Mizuho-sama's lineage, Sandaime-sama." The ANBU said.

Surprised to say, Sandaime was not shocked at the ANBU's reply. He knew that one of these days; Naruto will get to activate all of his powerful bloodlines. _'Minato, Mizuho, he's becoming stronger than you've ever wished. Soon, he will surpass everyone even you Minato, my friend.'_ Sandaime thought.

"Hokage-sama..?" The ANBU called.

"Yes?" Sandaime said.

"The genins have already picked a number, Hokage-sama. It's your turn to announce when the next fight will be." The black masked ANBU replied.

"Right" Sandaime said as he stood up from his seat. Before him were the victors of this stage namely:

Nara Shikamaru (1)  
Rock Lee (1)  
Sabaku no Gaara (3)  
Sabaku no Kankuro (2)  
Sabaku no Temari (4)  
Uchiha Sasuke (2)  
Uzumaki Naruto (3)

"First, congratulations for winning this second stage. Now, you'll all have at least one month to train for the next stage. Do you your best." Sandaime said, leaving the ninjas behind.

_X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Author's Note/s: **  
Thanks for the amazing reviews! If you're all wondering about the pairing just look at my profile and it should guide you enough about my stories, if not, well I'm not that really good with summaries hehe… sorry. By the way, awhile ago in this chapter, Naruto activated his second Doujutsu, the Jagan (evil eyes), but he doesn't even know about it. Oh yea… sorry if the fight scenes were a little rushed… I'm not good with fight scenes but I'll try anyways… Thanks again for the reviews, see you in the chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

_**Previously on "The Dokushinsha"**_

"_Do you mind telling me what that was?" Sandaime said._

_The ANBU didn't hesitate to answer. "That was Naruto-kun's second bloodline, the Jagan (Evil Eyes). It compliments with the Kurotenshi Tsubasa. Those bloodlines came from Mizuho-sama's lineage, Sandaime-sama." The ANBU said._

_Surprised to say, Sandaime was not shocked at the ANBU's reply. He knew that one of these days; Naruto will get to activate all powerful bloodlines. 'Minato, Mizuho, he's becoming stronger than you've ever wished. Soon, he will surpass everyone even you Minato, my friend.' Sandaime thought._

"_Hokage-sama?" The ANBU called._

"_Yes?" Sandaime said._

"_The genins have already picked a number, Hokage-sama. It's your turn to announce when the next fight will be." The black masked ANBU replied._

"_Right" Sandaime said as he stood up from his seat. Before him were the victors of this stage, namely:_

_Nara Shikamaru (1) _  
_Rock Lee (1) _  
_Sabaku no Gaara (3) _  
_Sabaku no Kankuro (2) _  
_Sabaku no Temari (4) _  
_Uchiha Sasuke (2) _  
_Uzumaki Naruto (3)_

"_First, congratulations for winning this second stage. Now, you'll all have at least one month to train for the next stage. Do you your best." Sandaime said, leaving the ninjas behind._

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Chapter 7**

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**Chuunin Exam III**

The said ninjas were wondering what could the last stage of the Chuunin Exam would be like, since they were facing real ninjas here, someone who they didn't know personally, in the case of the Leaf Nins and the Sand Nins. The Sand Nins were a big mystery to them. Several minutes passed, all the ninjas went to their merry way. Some were disappointed while some were pleased.

Currently in an onsen, there we could see our favorite blue-eyed shinobi, Uzumaki Naruto. He had been asleep since his body agreed to it. There he was sleeping without a care to the world around him. Even Kyuubi was supplying him a wondrous dream in Naruto's point of view. It was about him and his angel; they were flying under the moonlight. They were alone until he was hearing some… giggling?

Naruto was automatically awakened by the said disturbance. He was frankly looking who could have been giggling at the male section of the onsen. Once he found the source of the disturbing sound, he had the urge to yell at the said source. Before him was a half-naked man, with white long hair, and red markings on his face. The said half-naked man was giggling.

'_Is he peeping?'_ Naruto thought.

Then there he heard again, the white haired man was giggling again. Naruto was about to shout when he heard a familiar voice from the women's section of the onsen.

"Come on, Kurenai; tell us what was it like flying with him?" A familiar voice rang from the other side of the onsen. Naruto recognized it as his second examiner, Mitarashi Anko.

Then another familiar voice was heard. "Tell us!" It was that cat-masked ANBU, Uzuki Yugao. Naruto thought.

Without a second or two, another familiar voice was heard. "Yea I'll speak for Motoko here, come on, Kurenai; tell us, please…" It was Haku, Zabuza's adopted sister.

It was just until now, Naruto realized that there were five kunoichis at the other side of the onsen, including his jounin sensei, and this white haired man was peeping on them. He quickly rose up from the waters and yelled.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Naruto shouted.

This caused the other ninjas from the other side of the onsen to rise from the hot water, securing their bodies from the unknown pervert, as though they thought.

The white haired man looked back at the other customer of the onsen, signaling him to shut up.

"Stop it." He said.

"Why? So that the women you're peeping won't know about your act!" Naruto shouted, bringing his volume up.

Unfortunately for the white-haired man the women already decided to bring forth their wrath. The said white-haired man was tied at a nearby tree by a half masked kunoichi. It was Motoko.

"You…" The white-haired man started.

The half masked kunoichi walked up to the tied man and whispered something unknown to the others. Once she was done, she walked back to the other women. Some were not looking at the 'pervert' but they were looking at the blonde shinobi in the onsen.

Naruto noticed the stares being given to him. He just laughed nervously and said. "Um… d-d-don't y'all feel a little awkward here… you're in the men's section of the onsen… somebody could see y'all…" Naruto said as he looked down, avoiding the stares being given to him.

Anko smirked as she saw the young man nervous from his feet.

"Why? You scared, Naruto-kuuun…" Anko said as she walked in front of the blonde.

Yugao and Haku had a smile on their faces while Kurenai just stood their, silent. Motoko, on the other hand, was no where to be found. Four women stood there, half-naked, with a blonde shinobi, half naked as well, forgetting the white-haired man at the tree.

Naruto gulped at his sudden predicament. He was about to say something when someone broke it for him.

"Anko…" It was Kurenai.

Yugao and Haku looked between the two while Naruto was at the middle. Anko looked at the Genjutsu mistress with a raised eyebrow. There was something on her face which stated: "Don't mess with me when I'm having fun." She was currently looking at Kurenai. The said woman had a serious look on her face too but it didn't state anything, unlike Anko's.

"What?" Anko asked.

"Just leave Naruto-kun alone. We better head back to the women's section and fast." Kurenai said with a plain tone. Her face didn't show any emotion nor was she concealing it just like awhile ago? Kurenai raised her eyebrow when she heard the Tokubetsu Jounin chuckle then it got worse. Anko started to laugh, hysterically. Now, it was everyone's turn to look confused at the Tokubetsu Jounin.

"HAHAHA… you should see the look on your face! HAHAHA… it was… HAHAHA… hilarious! HAHAHA…" Anko laughed more.

Kurenai had the urge to yell at the woman before her while Yugao and Haku just sighed at the woman. Naruto, well, he had a blank look on his face. Once again they forgot about the white-haired man behind them. After several seconds, Kurenai pulled Anko away, making the other kunoichis follow from behind.

Naruto looked at the retreating women then to the white-haired man. The said white-haired man was looking at him as well. Their 'staring contest' ended when the white-haired man spoke. "You're Uzumaki Naruto, correct?"

Automatically, Naruto raised an eyebrow, confused as to how would this man know him. Naruto just nodded and said. "That I am and you are?" Naruto asked.

The white-haired man had the urge to yell at the blonde but then he just let his cool take over him. _'Kids these days…'_ The white-haired man thought. "I am Jiraiya, one of the legendary three. The…" Jiraiya said but Naruto cut him off.

"You're one of the legendary three? As in one of Sandaime-jiji's students! I really have hard time believing at that crap." Naruto said. He had a bored look on his face when Jiraiya introduced himself.

Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched at the blonde's brash behavior. "You're coming with me." He said.

"Eh?" Naruto said.

"What? Are you deaf?" Jiraiya asked, making the blonde shot back.

"Why the heck will I go with you? For all I know, you're a pervert!"

Jiraiya had a grin on his face. He walked away to the said blonde and without a second or two he formed a set of hand seals and said. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" Soon, there was a frog that's almost as big as a human being. Jiraiya still had the smirk on his face as he looked at the shocked shinobi. "Meet me at the lake tomorrow morning." Jiraiya said, leaving the shocked Naruto behind.

'_Which lake?'_ Naruto thought.

The next day came; Naruto was walking at a side of a lake. He was thinking of the encounter he had with the toad sannin. _'What was he thinking?'_ Naruto thought. Unknown to him someone was watching/stalking at him.

"Good to see you came." The stalker said. Naruto looked behind. It was Jiraiya, the perverted hermit. He was wearing the oddest pile of clothes Naruto had ever seen.

"Here I am… what do you want?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya ignored the sarcasm and proceeded to his agenda. "I'm here to teach you, Gaki." Jiraiya said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow but when he remembered the encounter last night he immediately said 'yes' to the perverted hermit. Jiraiya was watching the blonde as he jumped up and down in front of him, something he remembered back when his student was alive.

"Okay-okay… calm yourself geez… why are you so excited?" Jiraiya asked.

"Come on Ero-sennin, what's the first lesson?" Naruto said, obviously excited.

Jiraiya was calming himself. The boy had a knack to call him Ero-sennin (perverted hermit). He just sighed at the thought.

"I've heard that you have wings, is that true?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto nodded and said. "Yes I do have wings." He said as he activated his Kurotenshi Tsubasa.

"What else can you do with it aside from flying?" Jiraiya asked again.

Naruto was on his thinking position. "Hmm… I guess I can use it as a shield. I've done it several times." Naruto said.

Jiraiya was pondering at Naruto's words. "Hmm… can you use it as a weapon?" Jiraiya asked again.

Naruto's face fell. "I don't know…" He said.

"Yare-yare… come on, come with me." Jiraiya said.

Naruto was taken aback as he saw the hermit's retreating back. "Wait up!" He said as he deactivated his wings. Naruto was following the said frog sannin. They were still near the lake, only, a few meters away from where they stood awhile ago.

"What now, Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked.

'_That's it!'_ Jiraiya thought. Let's just say… Jiraiya snapped. "Stop calling me that you brat!" Jiraiya shouted.

"I'm going to teach you to summon." Jiraiya added.

Naruto was about to shot back but when he heard what Jiraiya had said Naruto was all ears to the toad sannin.

"Summon?" Naruto repeated.

"What? You don't know what's a summon?" Jiraiya asked.

"I know them! But that would mean I have to get a contract from a certain animal or summon." Naruto said.

Jiraiya had a grin on his face stating that his answer was correct for someone in his age. There he was once again, forming the needed hand seals for the summoning. Once Jiraiya was done he bit his thumb and slammed both palms at the ground, saying. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" at the same time. Soon there was this frog again the one Naruto saw back at the onsen. The said frog brought out a large scroll from its mouth. Jiraiya promptly opened the said scroll and said. "Sign here using your blood." Jiraiya said as he pointed out.

Naruto noticed Jiraiya's name and then another name next to him and his signature. The mysterious signature that said: _'Namikaze Minato'._

'_He's the fourth's sensei?'_ Naruto wondered as he signed the said contract. "There… done." Naruto said.

"Before we do the summoning, have you done tree climbing to control your chakra?" Jiraiya asked which earned him a nod from the said blonde. "Okay… how about water walking?" Jiraiya asked again but then again Naruto nodded in response.

'_What the heck have you been teaching him, Ayeka?'_ Jiraiya said to no one in particular in his mind. He just sighed and said. "Fine. We'll start with the summoning but I must warn you the frog boss is not that easy to be pleased." Jiraiya said.

"Yosh!" Naruto said as he mocked a salute.

"Now, I want you do these hand seals." Jiraiya said. He was currently teaching Naruto the correct set of hand seals needed for the summoning. "Now, do as I say. Bite your thumb to draw some blood, slam both of your palms to the ground, and say the summoning jutsu. Got it so far?" Jiraiya asked.

Naruto nodded in response. He did what he was told to. By the time he finished with the whole ordeal, he announced. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" Soon, there was a cloud of smoke but it wasn't big as Jiraiya's awhile ago. It was rather small. When the smoke dissipated it only revealed a small version of the frog awhile ago.

"Yo!" it said.

Naruto was looking at the frog. He was quite surprised to see it talked and yet here it was asking for him if he got some candies in him.

"Hello? Are you deaf? Do you have some candy with you?" It asked again.

"Huh? Oh… here" Naruto said as he gave the said frog a mint.

"Mint hmm… thanks! I'm Gamakichi and you are?" Gamakichi asked.

"Naruto… Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto said.

"Ja… I'm going now, thanks for the mint again, Naruto!" Gamakichi said as he poofed away, leaving a dumbfounded Naruto.

"Not bad for a first try, Naruto." Jiraiya said from the behind. "Now do it again… this time, try to summon the big boss." Jiraiya said.

Naruto promptly went back to his feet and did the necessary hand seals. Once he was done, he bit his thumb again and slammed both of his palms to the ground and shouted. "KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU" Then it happened again, there was a cloud of smoke but this time it was humungous. The cloud dissipated and it revealed the King of all frogs, Gamabunta. "JIRAIYA! HOW DARE YOU SUMMON ME AT A TIME LIKE THIS?" It shouted.

Naruto was looking everywhere as if trying to find someone. But then he noticed something the said perverted toad sannin was no where to be found. Naruto looked up and said. "Ero-sennin didn't summon you, I did!" Naruto shot back. Gamabunta heard a voice but then he couldn't see where the source was coming from.

'_This is getting no where.'_ Naruto thought. He activated his wings and flew in front of the boss frog. Gamabunta saw something landed on his nose and said. "I was the one who summoned you!" It shouted.

"You? A mere pipsqueak, you must be joking me." Gamabunta said. He was looking at the blonde boy on his nose. There was something about him that he was familiar with. Then, he noticed the black wings on his back.

'_Is he considering him now?'_ Jiraiya thought. He was currently watching Naruto and the big boss frog as they confront with each other. "I already did the other half… I guess it's your turn now." Jiraiya said to someone in particular. A shadow walked out of nowhere, it revealed a feminine form. She had black shoulder-length wavy hair and red intense eyes. She was watching Naruto from far behind just like Jiraiya. The said figure was smiling as she watched Naruto who was trying to convince the said frog boss.

'_Naruto has grown so much, Ne-sama. I'm sure you're watching over him now.'_

Meanwhile back with Naruto, the said blonde was still trying to convince Gamabunta but then another poof was heard. When the smoke dissipated, it revealed the small frog, Gamakichi.

"Yo Pops! Oh hey, Naruto, what ya' doing here? Whoa… you have wings! That's cool man!" Gamakichi said.

Gamabunta was looking at his son, Gamakichi, then to this blonde boy again. "Gamakichi, what are you doing here?" Gamabunta asked.

"Mom was wondering where you've been… you suddenly disappeared in a poof." Gamakichi said.

Naruto could swear he was hearing some grunting coming from Gamabunta. Then the next thing he knew, Gamabunta was looking at him and then to his son. "How did you know this human?" Gamabunta asked.

"I think he summoned me awhile ago. I like him, Pops. He gave me this mint just a moment ago." Gamakichi said.

Gamabunta looked at the blonde boy again and said. "For now you have the permission to summon any of my children except me, do you understand that? I still have to give you a test to see if you really are worthy of my services." Gamabunta said as he and Gamakichi poofed away.

"YOSH!" Naruto shouted as he flew almost everywhere in the clearing.

After several minutes, he landed back on the ground. He was happy at the new jutsu he had learned. He was about to walk again but something was off. He couldn't move. Naruto was trying force himself too but he can't. He felt someone was behind him and that someone was walking to his direction. Once that someone was in front of Naruto, his eyes grew as possible as they can get.

"A-A-A…" Naruto stuttered not because he couldn't move, he can move now, but he was like in an automatic shut down.

"You already forgot my name, Naruto-kun?" It was Ayeka, Naruto's former sensei. She was currently looking at the wide-eyed blonde who was still shocked at what he was seeing. "Naruto, are you alright?" Ayeka asked as she waved her right hand in front of Naruto's face.

Naruto shook his head several times. It was as if he was just dreaming but then again he wasn't and Ayeka made sure of that. "Naruto, what I'm about to do to you now will sting a little bit so, prepare for the inevitable." Ayeka said.

Naruto was about to ask 'what was going on?' but all of a sudden, he felt a pang of great pain struck through his right arm. It made him go limp. He screamed as the pain went to its highest level. He was screaming but then noticed he couldn't even muster a single whisper from his mouth. He looked at his former sensei who was watching him as well. After several minutes, he passed out. Soon, there was a black like markings around his right arm and his wings tattoo at the back extended even further. The only part of his body that wasn't covered by the black markings was his left arm. By the time Naruto woke up, he noticed the surroundings hadn't changed. It was like the time didn't change at all. He was there, lying on the ground. He was wondering about the encounter he had with Ayeka.

"Did that really happened?" He asked to no one in particular then he noticed a note stuck on his forehead which stated:

_Hey Gaki,_

_Sorry I got to run again. If you notice, the time didn't change so, you still have time to go and meet your team mates. Oh and if you notice the bandage on your right arm, don't take it off if you don't want to faint… hehe just kidding. If you feel that it doesn't hurt anymore, you can take it off. Once again, I'll see you when I'll see you._

_Ayeka_

Naruto read the note again and again. For the second time, she left him again with a note. He noticed his right arm, bandaged, and felt as if nothing had happened to it. After several seconds, he started to walk towards the training grounds. The first thing he noticed was his jounin sensei and she was… um… hiding behind a bush. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he watched the said jounin. He just walked next to her but when he was about to say 'good afternoon', he was pulled down by Kurenai, signaling him to keep quiet as she pointed the other members of Team 8 namely Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Hinata. The said genins were currently seating at a log, both talking with each other. Kurenai and Naruto noticed Hinata's giggling and Kiba's blush.

"I wonder where Sensei and Naruto is. They're quite late don't you think?" Hinata said.

"Maybe they went on a date." Kiba said which made the Hyuuga princess chuckle and said.

"Maybe, but then again, there they are." Hinata said as she pointed out at the new comers.

"So… what were you two doing while we were not yet here?" Naruto asked with a grin.

"Nothing… How about the both of you, where were you both?" Kiba asked with a grin on the face.

Kurenai and Naruto didn't answer, they just looked away but Kiba was eyeing the both of them. "Um… uh… Naruto what happened to your arm?" Kurenai asked, trying to change the topic.

"Oh this… it's nothing." Naruto said with a smile on his face.

Kiba was about to say something when suddenly Hinata said. "Um… Naruto, what do you plan now for the Chuunin exam? You're facing Sabaku no Gaara, right?" Hinata asked.

Naruto still had a smile on his face. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine…" He said.

"Say… Naruto, what's this on your neck?" Kiba asked as he tackled down the said blonde while Hinata and Kurenai were watching the two as they wrestle down to the ground.

"It's nothing!" Naruto said as he tried to get away from the dog-user.

When they were about to start to wrestle again someone 'poofed' in, it was Kakashi with Gai. "Naruto" Kakashi called.

Naruto looked at his (adopted) brother and then to Gai. "What's the matter, Nii-san?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi noticed the bandage on Naruto's right arm and said. "What happened to your arm? You didn't get injured, did you?" Kakashi asked with seriousness in his eye.

"No… I didn't get injured. I had these when I was training with myself just near the lake awhile ago. Why, what's the matter?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi sighed in relief.

"It's Lee… he… he was attacked. Ten-ten said that it was Sabaku no Gaara who attacked Lee but we don't have enough evidence to disqualify him in the Chuunin exam. I'm afraid that Lee will have to forfeit the match with Asuma's student. It is just so un-youthful…" Gai said as he cried in front of the other ninjas.

Some were sending him weird looks but some were just silent as they felt a bit sad for their fellow shinobi. This made Naruto more determined to fight that Sabaku no Gaara, aside from the feral feeling he felt during their first encounter, he was definitely going to show that Sabaku no Gaara a thing or two.

"Glad to see you're safe, Otouto." Kakashi said as he ruffled Naruto's hair. The said blonde genin was occupied awhile ago. He was staring at his bandaged fist. Kiba and Hinata thought Naruto will go berserk again just like in the Forest of death. Everyone swore they saw a hint of black in Naruto's eyes but it quickly fade away when Kakashi ruffled the said blonde's hair.

After several minutes, Kakashi and Gai went to their teams, leaving Team 8 quiet as they just stood there not even talking with each other. The news of Rock Lee's attack was still on their minds.

"So… who's up to a little sparring session?" Naruto asked, trying to change the topic. The rest of the team just looked at him with a smile on their faces.

"Okay I'll spar with you! Just to make sure that you won't be the laughing stock of the Chuunin exam when you walk out the stadium with a 'loser' printout to your forehead." Kiba said which made Naruto smirk.

"As if… let's see you try! I bet you won't even lay a single finger on me!" Naruto joked. He saw the young Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru, formed the Juujin Bushin, making an exact replica of the dog-user.

Meanwhile, Kurenai and Hinata were watching the whole ordeal. They both had the same thought running to their heads which only stated:

'_Boys…'_ (Kurenai & Hinata)

They just sat at the log and watched how Naruto dodge all Kiba's attack. Now, they're seeing Naruto on the offense while Kiba was on the defense. Kiba was trying to move as fast as he could but Naruto was like everywhere. He stopped just when Naruto punched this tree but from what he saw it was beyond Naruto's power. The tree was cut in half, making it fall. Kiba was thankful that Akamaru was there to push him out of the way.

Kiba was still on the ground while Akamaru changed to his original form. He was still looking at Naruto, who was standing on the ground, staring at his right hand. Both Kurenai and Hinata walked to both genins and asked if they were alright. They too saw just how Naruto managed to make that tree fall down with just one punch. The three of them were thinking… _'What if Kiba was that tree?'_

"Are you alright?" They heard Naruto ask.

"I'm fine… wow Naruto, how did you do that?" Kiba asked.

"I… I don't know." Naruto said.

"Once again with the 'I don't know speech'… You know, Naruto?" Kiba said. Everybody was looking at the young Inuzuka as if telling him to continue with what he was saying which he did. "… You are so full of surprises." Kiba added.

"I guess I am… hehe." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his neck.

The training Team 8 went through varied from Genjutsus, Ninjutsus, Taijutsus, and Tactical training as well. Most of the time, they discussed about Genjutsu and Tactics since that's where Kurenai mostly specialized at and sometimes, she let Naruto teach some Ninjutsus and Taijutsu even Kurenai was listening as well whenever Naruto was the one teaching. Kiba and Hinata took notice the things happening to their sensei and to their team mate for the past few weeks. They were currently listening to Naruto who was explaining something about Katon Jutsus and then there they saw their sensei listening attentively to their temporary sensei but then again they just have to shrug it off since they both had to listen as well.

"That's about it." Naruto said. He looked at his 'temporary' students. He noticed a couple of things: (1) Kiba and Hinata were looking at him then to Kurenai and (2) Kurenai was looking at him. "Uh… what time is it?" Naruto asked.

"It's almost quarter to eleven." Hinata replied. The moment she realized what she had said. All three genins were in panic even Kurenai too but she just simply let her cool take over. "We're going to be late!" The three genins shouted in response.

"How come none of you noticed the time?" Naruto asked but when he saw all three looked away, including Kurenai. He just sighed and said. "Oh… never mind."

"Best way to get there on time is to fly. Come on, Naruto." Kiba said.

"You planned this didn't you?" Naruto asked more like stated as he eyed the said dog-user.

"No… I didn't. It just went through my mind." Kiba said.

"Fine… Kage Bushin no Jutsu." Naruto said. Soon, there were three Naruto; none knew who the real Naruto was. They just flew past all of the training ground. They managed to get to the part where the referee introduced himself. The said referee stopped when everyone including him was looking at the new comers. **(A/N: Who wouldn't look at a fancy entrance, ne?)** The spectators noticed there were three winged Naruto(s). The first two landed and they both let go the ones they were carrying namely, Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba. Once the third Naruto landed, the first two Naruto(s) dissipated.

"Now, wasn't that fun? Well, unlike the first time hehe…" Naruto said as he let go of Kurenai.

Kurenai, however, could swear there were people looking at her. She just looked calm as if no one was staring at her which there was. We could start with a few numbers of genins, chuunins, jounins, and some villagers as well. She just watched Naruto as he landed where all the chuunin candidates stood. There, Naruto saw the other genins looking at him namely, Nara Shikamaru (who just stated 'how troublesome' and then looked away), Sabaku no Gaara (who had the look on his face which stated: 'I'm going to kill you' kind of look), Sabaku no Kankuro (who had a look on his face which stated: 'What the heck were you doing back up there?' kind of look), Sabaku no Temari (who was just staring at the ground, probably, cursing herself for not doing anything), then, there was Uchiha Sasuke (who was as stoic as he could possibly be).

The referee sighed as he saw the new comer, Uzumaki Naruto. _'He just had to show off in front of everybody else…'_ The referee thought as he shook his head several times. "Due to Rock Lee's forfeiture, the first match Rock Lee versus Nara Shikamaru will be changed." The referee said. He looked at the other genins and pointed out at Sabaku no Temari.

"You…" He said. "Since you're in the waiting list, you're going to fight Nara Shikamaru."

"What?" Temari said.

"Why am I the one who have to fight a girl?" Shikamaru said with a bored tone and look on his face.

Temari wasn't pleased at the referee's decision. She just glared at the lazy shinobi before her. She just watched the other genins move to where they originally sat before. She could see Naruto seated next to his jounin sensei.

"How troublesome…" She heard him say.

The referee was looking between the said genins. He could tell the first genin was lazy enough to quit the fight while the second genin was not even interested in fighting the said first genin. He just sighed at the thought.

"Ready… fight!" The referee announced.

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**Author's Note/s: **

Wow… I have nothing to say hmm… HAH! I would like to thank/congratulate **Bam Dasher for being the 100th reviewer** and **DarkMan for being the 1st reviewer!** Y'all are so sweet! Thanks for the reviews. I know this may sound overused but I'm saying it again "Thank you so much!" It makes me so happy that there are people who are reacting to my fic… hehe.

Anyways, as suspected Naruto was taught here by Jiraiya and he got a special visit from Ayeka.

The first plot shall soon end… pouts then there came the other plot… throws confetti…hehe… but it will be soon… pouts again. So, "The Dokushinsha" will run for quite awhile.

Thanks for reading "The Dokushinsha"! See you in the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Dokushinsha**  
by eixirt

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_**Previously on 'The Dokushinsha'**_

"_Why am I the one who have to fight a girl?" Shikamaru said with a bored tone and look on his face._

_Temari wasn't pleased at the referee's decision. She just glared at the lazy shinobi before her. She just watched the other genins move to where they originally sat before. She could see Naruto seated next to his jounin sensei._

"_How troublesome…" She heard him say._

_The referee was looking between the said genins. He could tell the first genin was lazy enough to quit while the second genin was not even interested in fighting the said first genin. He just sighed at the thought._

"_Ready… fight!" The referee announced._

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**Chapter 8**

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**Chuunin Exam IV (The Sand-Sound Invasion)**

Both said genins were expected to move but none came. They just stood there observing each other. The Leaf genin, Nara Shikamaru saw this Sand genin, Sabaku no Temari, moved this enormous fan from her back. Shikamaru was wondering what this fan's purpose was and yet he noticed that she was standing in a good twenty meters (20m) away from him. It only hit him literally when he saw her swung her fan in front of him. Soon, there was a gust of wind all over the arena. Some of the Chuunins and Jounins were amazed at the power of that swing Sabaku no Temari displayed.

"You don't have to hide your lazy ass, genin!" Temari shot. She was currently looking for the lazy genin, Nara Shikamaru, who was currently hiding behind a tree.

'_Troublesome…'_ Shikamaru thought.

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"I don't get it… where's Shikamaru gone to?" Ino asked.

"He's probably thinking of a way to defeat Temari-san." Naruto said.

"Nah… he'll quit the fight, I tell you." Chouji said as he continued to eat his chips.

"Wait! You know that Sand Nin?" Ino asked which made almost everyone in ear shot look at their direction.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"How did you know her, huh Naruto-kun?" Ino asked but before Naruto could reply someone asked another question.

"Why were you trying to kiss her before, huh Naruto-kun?" It was Haruno Sakura. The said kunoichi was now standing in front of Naruto.

"Like how many times do I have to tell you?-! I wasn't going to kiss her!" Naruto shot back. Unfortunately, Ino and Sakura weren't the only ones who have ears, though.

"Really, Naruto-kun?" Naruto heard someone asked. By the time he turned around, he saw this Tokubetsu Jounin, Mitarashi Anko beside her was Inuzuka Hana.

"Really, Naruto-kun, you were not trying to get a kiss from that Sand Nin." Anko asked as she pointed at the blonde kunoichi.

Meanwhile, the said blonde kunoichi who was at the arena was now seen as red as a tomato. She was just standing there, not even moving a single inch. Her head was low as she continued to listen to the conversation going on up at the bleachers.

"I wasn't going to kiss her okay?-!" Naruto shot back again.

Anko started to act disappointed. "Darn it! Then that means you're not interested in older women?-!" Anko said.

Hana saw Anko's act and she too was acting like she was… pouting (?) Kiba wanted to burry himself from the humiliation he was suffering in to. If not, he wanted to burry her sister for what was the reason again (?) Was it… his sister was flirting with his team mate / friend? What else could happen next? He asked.

"Wha- I didn't say that!" Naruto said which caused the said older women namely, Mitarashi Anko, Inuzuka Hana, and Yuuhi Kurenai, to snap their direction to back to Naruto.

"So… you like older women, eh Naruto-kun?" Anko asked as she eyed the said blonde from his seat.

"I… well…" Naruto was about to say another word but something caught his eyes. It was this mysterious black masked ANBU, who was currently walking, probably, on her way to where the Kages were seating.

Unfortunately, Anko took this as another alibi and said. "Don't tell me you like brunettes, eh Naruto-kun?" Anko said.

"What?-!" Naruto said with a raised eyebrow.

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Meanwhile back with Temari versus Shikamaru, the said blonde kunoichi was still waiting for the lazy genin to come out from where he was hiding. It has been ten minutes since Shikamaru started to hide, as Temari thought. Surprisingly, Shikamaru came out. Temari looked at him with a smirk on her face. He was somewhat hiding behind a shadow and his jacket was no where to be seen. Temari looked at him but this time her smirk was gone, she could see her opponent forming a slight smile, as though she thought.

'_What's he smiling about?-!'_ Temari asked herself.

Her eyes grew in surprise when she saw Shikamaru kneeled in one knee and formed a single hand seal. She immediately saw this black shadow-like form on the ground.

"As long as I stay on this side of the line your shadow imitation won't reach me." Temari declared. Awhile ago she would have thought that she had won but still there's something bothering her, it was Shikamaru's smile/smirk.

"Check mate!" Temari heard Shikamaru say.

'_Huh?-!'_ Temari thought. Temari was about to say something but then she couldn't even open her mouth. She just looked at her opponent then suddenly her body starts to mimic the moves Shikamaru was doing.

"You can talk now…" Shikamaru said.

Temari glared at him and said. "How?" She asked.

"Your wind carried out my jacket see…," He held out the said jacket but something caught Temari's eyes, there was a kunai tied with the jacket. "…I simply used its shadow to connect to yours." Shikamaru said.

Surprised to say, Temari was impressed and even the referee was impressed as well.

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"Yatta! Shikamaru won!" Ino said.

"Nah… he'll quit this one, I tell you." Chouji said.

"Shut up you, fat ass!" Ino shot back.

That was one mistake Ino have to remember.

"I'M NOT FAT! I'M JUST BIG BONED!" Chouji shouted.

"Hey… break it off. I think the referee is going to announce the winner." Naruto said. Miraculously, the two stopped bickering but unknown to Naruto someone was not watching at the declaration but instead that 'someone' was watching / staring at him.

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As Shikamaru walked, Temari followed. She still has those glaring eyes on and still Shikamaru didn't care. He just said. "I quit…"

The referee and even Temari looked at him with wide eyes. _'He obviously won but still he quits, why?'_ Temari thought. She was about to ask why but Shikamaru beat her up to it.

"This is just too troublesome. Besides, I don't have enough chakra to continue on." Shikamaru said. Temari just kept staring at Shikamaru's retreating back.

The referee too was staring but then he remembered that he had to declare the winner.

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The next fight was with Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Kankuro. After several seconds Sasuke was already at the arena, waiting for his opponent, Sabaku no Kankuro.

'_What the heck is going on?-!'_ Sasuke wondered.

But then another Chuunin came to the referee. Sasuke was watching the two. As the Chuunin whispered something to the referee, Sasuke could see the referee's reaction. There were shock, surprise, and disbelief. Then the referee sighed. Sasuke saw the Chuunin again but this time he walked away, leaving the referee and him at the arena.

"Due to the forfeiture of Sabaku no Kankuro, I declare Uchiha Sasuke as the winner in this match." The referee announced.

But some would have thought that it would be alright since their prodigy won. But then again, 'no' some people wanted to see 'their prodigy' fight. It was really unexpected, as Sandaime thought.

'_What are we going to do?'_ The referee thought. He called out the Chuunin from awhile ago and said. "Go and tell this to the Hokage."

Without a second or two, the Chuunin 'poofed' out, running to where the other Kages were namely, the Hokage and the Kazekage.

"They want to see Uchiha Sasuke fight eh…" Sandaime Hokage repeated.

"Hai, Hokage-sama" The Chuunin replied.

"Fine but after Uzumaki Naruto's fight. Besides, the exam had not yet ended, am I correct?" The Sandaime said.

"It is such a shame that my son backed down against this Uchiha Sasuke…" The Kazekage said.

Sandaime just looked back at the Kazekage and sighed. He just continued to watch the next fight, Uzumaki Naruto versus Sabaku no Gaara.

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The said competitors were not still at the arena.

Back at the bleachers, Naruto was still there. He stood up just when the referee started to call out his and Gaara's name. From below, he could see Gaara with crossed arms, staring at him. He was about to fly down but then someone caught / stopped him by the wrist.

"Good luck…" It was Kurenai. She slowly let him go.

Naruto looked back at his Jounin sensei then to his team mates. Before he could proceed at the arena, he casted a small smile and two thumbs up at his team mates and Sensei as he activated his wings. But, once again, before he could fly down, there was someone seated at his seat. Team 8 could see Naruto's reaction. It was filled with shock, joy, and surprise. They just look where Naruto was currently looking.

"A-A-Ay… s-s-s-sen…-" Naruto stuttered.

"Geez, Naruto-kun, you already forgot my name! I just visited you last week or the other week… I can't really remember…" Ayeka acted as if she couldn't see Naruto smile.

"SENSEI!" Naruto promptly hugged the said woman while the others in sight were either shocked or… just shocked.

"Hey-hey! Enough with the hugging… you have a fight to win on… UGH my back!" Ayeka said as she tried to push back the said blonde away.

"AWW… Does my 'ol sensei feels her age?" Naruto said.

"Are you stating that I'm old, Gaki?-!" Ayeka said with a raised eyebrow.

"Why? Are you not?" Naruto said with a smirk.

"Teme…, I'm only twenty years old God damn it!" Ayeka shot back as she held Naruto by the collar.

'_Shit!' _Naruto thought.

"Watch the strength…" Naruto whispered, repeatedly, as he closed his eyes. He waited for an expected whack coming from his former sensei but surprisingly it never came. Instead, a small kiss was planted on his cheek.

Naruto blinked once, if not, twice.

"Good luck!" Ayeka said as she let go of Naruto, who flew down to the arena.

'_That's Naruto's former sensei?-!'_ Kurenai thought as she glanced at the said woman. She forgot the mere fact that Ayeka was just seated next to her.

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Meanwhile back at the arena, Naruto landed and still Gaara had the grumpy look on his face.

"I thought you'd never come down…" The referee said.

"Hehe…" Naruto chuckled as he scratched the back of his head.

"Uzumaki-san…" Gaara called.

Naruto looked at him but this time Naruto's façade changed… big time. "Gaara-san…" Naruto said.

The referee looked at the said competitors. There was something different and similar between them.

"Is it just me or its getting a little hot in here…?" Kiba said.

'_It has begun…'_ Ayeka said in her mind with a smile. Unknown to Ayeka, Kurenai was watching at her.

'_What's she smiling at?'_ Kurenai wondered.

Back at the arena, both opponents were observing each others' weaknesses (if any), though.

"Ready… fight!" The referee declared. He immediately moved out of the way just in case these two started to attack each other but surprisingly, none came. They just stood there, staring with each other. For a good ten minutes, both competitors were still standing there. It was as if they were statues.

'_What are they waiting for?'_ The referee wondered. But then it just hit him hard. He immediately ran up to the bleachers when he saw something seeping out from both genins.

The referee was sure that there's sand coming out from Sabaku no Gaara's gourd but from Naruto he wasn't sure if it was flames, thus, the color of it was blue. This was the first time Kurenai seen Naruto act like this. She saw her other students, who were watching the whole ordeal, they both had the look as if they had seen the whole thing.

"Tell me, have you two seen Naruto like this?" Kurenai asked in a low voice.

Both Hinata and Kiba just nodded in response. Kurenai looked back where Naruto was currently standing. It was as if the said blonde was calling out his own chakra from his body while Gaara had his sand around his body, serving as his defense. It was as if the sand was flowing just like the blue flame Naruto had.

Then… it stopped.

The sand came barging in. It formed a twenty feet, spike-like shaped sand, which seemed like tentacles. It came rushing towards Naruto. Everybody would have thought that, Gaara's attack was a sure kill since it was like twenty feet sand with tentacles by the way. The said attack almost covered the whole arena. Now, everybody wondered how the hell did that sand fitted inside that genin's gourd? Or some wondered if that blonde genin was still alive.

When the after effects of Gaara's attack were gone, almost everybody cheered when they saw Uzumaki Naruto, standing with his wings activated. There was a certain glow in it as it flowed from his back and boy… with that act Kurenai could swear there were some girls shouting out Naruto's name.

'_What the heck is he thinking?-!'_ Kurenai thought.

"Is that all you got? …--" Naruto said as he uncovered his right arm. It was like what Ayeka said. _"Don't take it off if you want to faint…"_ Now, he knew what that 'joke' meant. His right arm was covered with black-like-markings that seemed like a black dragon since it swirled around his arm. Then, for Naruto's last act, he took off his shirt. After several seconds, there were squeals everywhere coming from the kunoichis inside the arena. But then again, Naruto ignored it.

"--… I guess it's my turn. This is for my friend; I hope you can still remember him once I'm done with you." Naruto announced. He literally charged at Gaara who already had his sand formed like a ball and him inside of it. He managed to land a hit on Gaara's sand. It was a single punch but it managed to create a little crater on it, probably, making the one inside of it a little shaken. Shaken or not, there was definitely something going on inside of it. Naruto could see an eye-like sand figure from above where Gaara was currently hiding.

'_What the heck?-!'_ Naruto thought.

As if on cue, there was a loud boom coming from the west gate. Immediately, Konoha ninjas were definitely alerted. But the next thing caught them off guard, Oto-Nins started to rain in the whole place.

Ayeka stood up from her seat and formed a set of hand seals and shouted. "Nemurihane no Jutsu" Soon, genins and villagers started to fall asleep. Only a few was left to fight back against the Oto-Nins.

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Meanwhile, Sandaime too was at a tight spot before him was his former student, Orochimaru.

"It looks like you already know of my presence, Sarutobi-sensei. I have to admit I'm quite impressed." Orochimaru said with a smirk on his face.

"I just look old, Orochimaru, don't underestimate me… I'm still your sensei after all." Sarutobi said.

"That I doubt. Why won't we settle this in an all-out battle?" Orochimaru said but before Sarutobi could reply Orochimaru immediately charged at the said old man, giving him a continuous series of jabs.

But just like what the old man had said 'don't underestimate him'. In every jab, kick, and punches Orochimaru did, Sarutobi always managed to block, if not, counter-attack his every move.

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Back with Naruto and Gaara's fight, the said Sand-Nin was still inside his barrier but then Naruto noticed that it started to crack. Soon, he could see Gaara yet there was something different in him. The color white from his eyes were gone. It was replaced with black. His green eyes were replaced with brown ones. It was as if he looked like a racoon.

'_Is he transforming into something?'_ Naruto thought.

His answer was about to be answered when two familiar ninjas came in front of him.

"Gaara, go and disengage the next plan!" Temari shouted.

Gaara didn't reply he just sprint up to the forest where he could transform freely.

Naruto, on the other hand, was not going to let Gaara go that easily. He was about to run pass Temari and Kankuro but Temari's fan prevented him to it.

"I really don't have enough time for this so just let me pass." Naruto said.

"We were ordered to do this. I'm sorry, Naruto-kun…" Temari said.

"Maa… enough with this! He's our enemy for crying out loud finish him already!" Kankuro said.

Just after Kankuro said that, Naruto bring forth his wings. He promptly flew pass both Sand-Nins, who were quite taken back when they just remembered that Naruto can fly…

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Back with the Jounins at the stadium, some of the chuunins, jounins, and ANBUs were currently fending off against the Oto-Nins. It was like they just kept on coming and coming non-stop. Of all… the entire ruckus happening inside Konoha, some ninjas were staring at a lone figure that was presently standing… alone. It was as if the said figure didn't even noticed that there were ninjas coming on her way. Haku was about to warn the said woman but then everybody stopped when they all heard a familiar jutsu.

"SHUURAI NO JUTSU" Ayeka shouted.

Everyone who knew the jutsu looked with surprise in their eyes. The last time they've seen the said jutsu, it was being transmitted by Naruto back at Wave Country and his version was rather small than this one. It was definitely a dragon-shaped lightning but it was bigger than Naruto's. Without a second or two, half of the Oto-Nins were dead.

From where Ayeka stood, she could see a group of genins following Naruto from behind. Awhile ago, Haruno Sakura managed to dispel the said genjutsu. She was ordered to awaken any ninja she knew who's capable of fighting against enemy Nins. She already awakened three genins namely, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino.

Currently, Ayeka was still watching the said genin group from where she stood. The Oto-Nins at the stadium stopped attacking, as the Jounins thought, but something caught their eyes, and still, it was Ayeka again. But this time she had something similar to Naruto's

She activated her Kurotenshi Tsubasa. She looked at a certain Elite Jounin, Yuuhi Kurenai.

"You! Go after those genins. If my _nephew_ got injured, I will swear to God I will make you his personal nurse!" Ayeka commanded.

Kurenai was about to run but Kakashi stopped her first. "Wait" He said. Kurenai saw Kakashi formed a set of hand seals and placed his palm at hers and said. "Take this with you." Kakashi said.

"Uh… thanks…" Kurenai said as she looked at the small dog seating on her palm, right palm to be exact.

"Piece of advice, don't make Ayeka angry… you don't want to see her angry… I tell you…" Kakashi said.

"You know her?" Kurenai asked.

"Details later… you had an order, remember?' Kakashi said.

After several seconds, Kurenai was jumping up at the trees in front of her was Pakkun, one of Kakashi's dogs.

"_You! Go after those genins. If my __nephew_…" Ayeka's words rang to Kurenai's head once again.

"Wait, did she just say nephew?-!" Kurenai asked to no one in particular.

"Did you say something?" Pakkun asked.

"No I was just thinking about something." Kurenai replied.

"Then you better stop it for awhile… we're getting closer…" Pakkun said.

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Meanwhile, Sasuke with his Chidori was charging at Kankuro's puppet, Karasu. It was like 'a score they have to settle' as Sasuke thought.

"Now I know why you forfeited at the fight… you were simply afraid of me!" Sasuke mocked. He was currently looking at the said Sand-Nin.

"Take that back!" Kankuro shouted.

Sasuke thought it was the real Kankuro but it was just Karasu. Kankuro must have sent his voice so that Sasuke couldn't detect where the said Sand-Nin was.

"Show yourself!" Sasuke demanded.

Kankuro would have thought that Sasuke was just looking for him as he gently placed Karasu at Sasuke's back. Immediately, Kankuro opened the said puppet with his chakra strings. Kankuro was trying to trap Sasuke inside of Karasu with success but that was one mistake he had to learn.

Kankuro could hear some loud creaking sound coming from Karasu. It was pretty unusual since there was light seeping through the puppet. Kankuro watched in horror as his puppet, Karasu, was shattered into pieces.

"What are you without your puppet?" Sasuke asked. "You should give up… now." Sasuke added.

Kankuro sighed as he looked at his damaged puppet. "I… give… up…" Kankuro said not even looking at the Uchiha prodigy.

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In the meantime, from where Kurenai stood she could see a raccoon-like giant just five kilometers away. She sprinted up close to see what was happening but when she could see almost everything, she couldn't help but to be shocked at the sight. There she could see Haruno Sakura at the tree, glued with Gaara's sand, Aburame Shino and Inuzuka Kiba, both unconscious at the ground. Then there she saw Sasuke with his panting, he had the look as if he was going to faint and then there's Naruto looking at Sasuke and to the other unconscious genins in sight.

"Can you carry these two?" Naruto asked.

"Don't tell me… you're going to fight that monster alone?-!" Sasuke said between pants.

"Don't tell me you're worried for me…" Naruto said with a teasing tone.

"This isn't the right time to joke around, Naruto!" Sasuke said.

"Well, I'm not joking. Here, I'll lend you a clone." Naruto said as he called out a single clone. The said clone managed to free the pink-haired kunoichi.

"Would you like me to carry Shino for you?" The clone asked.

Sasuke just looked at the clone then to the real Naruto who flew away fast. Soon, the clone carried Sakura and Shino as he flew pass the forest with Sasuke in pursuit.

Currently, Naruto was staring at the raccoon-like giant before him. He was thinking of the ways how will he get to fight against this creature, he didn't even know what it was. He remembered the encounter he had with the Boss Frog.

'_How can I summon him at a time like this?-! Kuso… I guess I have to try then!' _Naruto said in his mind. He formed the needed hand seals, bit his thumb to draw some blood, slammed both of his palms, and shouted. "KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU" Soon, Kurenai could see a huge puff of smoke from where she stood. Before her were two giants, one was a frog and the other was a raccoon.

"Jiraiya… How dare you summon me at a time like this?-!" Gamabunta shouted.

"Boss… over here!" Naruto shouted as he flew up to the toad's nose.

"You! I thought I told you that you can't summon me unless I told you so?-!" Gamabunta shouted again.

"Yes but… look over there!" Naruto replied as he pointed at the giant raccoon in front of them.

"SHUKAKU!" Gamabunta roared out the raccoon's name.

'_That thing has a name?-!'_ Naruto said in his mind.

"Hey brat! Think of this as your test and your time starts now!" Gamabunta said.

"Whenever you're ready, Boss!" Naruto replied.

"Try to think of a creature that has claws and fangs and also try to do a little henge trick for me… quick!" Gamabunta asked.

Naruto was thinking of a creature that was suitable for this situation. He was contemplating whether he should use the Kyuubi no Kitsune form for this or something that looked like a dragon, but then, he made up his mind. "Henge" Naruto replied.

Soon there was a huge puff of smoke again. The next thing Kurenai saw could possibly made her fall from the tree. Something came out from the puff of smoke. It was like a creature in the mythical stories. This was the first time she'd ever seen a dragon, at its full height and power.

Gamabunta, in his dragon form, charged at Shukaku. Gamabunta swirled around like a snake around the giant raccoon as he clawed on its neck. If someone could see them, they would have thought that the dragon was winning from the fight but then again, Shukaku was one of the tailed beasts just like the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

Meanwhile back at the stadium…

Ayeka had ordered some of the shinobis to follow her to where their Hokage was fighting against this Kazekage or Orochimaru, up to the roof. Everyone noticed this purple-colored barrier and these four masked shinobis that seemed to be a pillar of this barrier. They could see from the inside their Hokage forming this genjutsu the "Bringer of Darkness". Some thought that their Kage will win while some thought that their fight will not end soon. But then again, they've noticed Orochimaru formed a set of hand seals and something started to seep out from the ground.

At first, it was a coffin, then, another coffin followed. Sarutobi already knew what Orochimaru was trying to do; he immediately stopped the next coffin by the minute. Everybody behind the barrier started to worry for their Hokage, who was now facing against his former senseis, the Shodaime and the Nidaime.

'_If Sarutobi-sama didn't stop the last coffin, he would have come face-to-face against Minato-kun… I have to do something against this barrier… and fast!'_ Ayeka thought. She noticed those four shinobis on each side of the barrier. Ayeka silently motioned both Kakashi and Gai to the North West, Haku and Asuma to the North East, Yugao to the east, while Zabuza to the west. Ayeka ordered them to neutralize those four shinobis at all cost and fast while she had to do something…

Orochimaru was watching both former Hokages fight against his former sensei, who had already called out his summon, Enma. As Orochimaru continued to watch on, he noticed the barrier was starting to fade.

'_Kuso…'_ Orochimaru started to curse himself. He had to do his plan or his revenge against this village he once called home. He noticed that Sarutobi was on a tight spot, literally, he was tied against a tree by the Shodaime. Orochimaru dismissed both Kages, leaving him and a tied Sarutobi alone…

"Orochimaru…" Sarutobi started.

"Shh… don't speak… you're just wasting your energy… let me end it for you…" Orochimaru said as he brought forth his sword, the Kusanagi, from his mouth. He was able to stab through Sarutobi's shoulder. Without content, Orochimaru did the same with Sarutobi's right and left leg.

Blood was already spilling out from Sarutobi's body. The sight was already sadistic and yet Orochimaru was still smiling about it. He wanted to make Sarutobi suffer as he slashed through his body. He wanted to hear him scream in pain and in help. He slowly pulled up the Kusanagi from his limb. Sarutobi could see where Orochimaru would stab him next.

"Oro… chi…" Sarutobi started once again, hoping that Orochimaru would listen but no…

"I thought I told you not to speak!" Orochimaru yelled. Sarutobi was almost impaled by his former student's next action. Orochimaru raised up the Kusanagi, ready to stab Sarutobi at the chest.

Sarutobi, who was unable defend himself, he was still thinking about Konoha, the villagers, his past students, his past senseis, his son, his grandson, his successor, the ninjas of his home village, and then Konoha again… Sarutobi closed his eyes and waited for his fate being pulled away by his own student. Surprised to say, he saw black, as in black wings. Before him was Ayeka, shielding him from Orochimaru's attack.

"Surprised, eh Orochimaru?" Ayeka said in a teasing tone.

But before Orochimaru could reply, he was immediately wrapped by Ayeka's wings, something that the shinobis hadn't seen before. Sarutobi who was still conscious saw how Ayeka managed to incapacitate his former student, Orochimaru. After several seconds, Ayeka let Orochimaru go. He was panting hard. Orochimaru was about to cast a jutsu but he noticed he couldn't. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?-!" He shouted on his knees.

Ayeka smirked from where she stood. She didn't even replied, she just walked in front of the snake sannin and held him by the head. She looked at his snake-like eyes. Sarutobi was watching from where he sat, he wasn't sure what was Ayeka doing but he was sure it wasn't pretty… as though he thought. Ayeka was looking at Orochimaru in the eyes but once she let go of her former sensei, Orochimaru passed out and so as Ayeka.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

Currently with Naruto and Gamabunta versus Gaara and Shukaku…

Kurenai was still watching from the distance and there she saw Naruto on top of Gamabunta in dragon form still fighting against Sabaku no Gaara with Shukaku in his ultimate defense form.

"Brat, this is getting nowhere, you have to wake that tanuki so that Shukaku will be forced back! Do it fast..!" Gamabunta commanded.

With that said, Naruto flew down to where Gaara stood. He was about to land a hit on him but Shukaku's sand got him first. Naruto was forcing himself out with the use of his wings but the more he struggle, he could feel a part of his wings started to crack. It was like the bones in his wings started to crack from the pressure being emitted by Shukaku/Gaara's sand. Soon he felt that the pressure was starting to fall down but then he noticed that he was covered by tongue-like barrier and then there he saw Gamabunta, holding him.

Gamabunta tossed Naruto at the air and said. "Don't fail this time you Brat!"

Naruto was thrown to the air but noticed that Gamabunta suddenly poofed away. He was close to Gaara and Shukaku's sand started to attack him just like awhile ago but Naruto charged up his chakra through his eyes, forming a genjutsu around his body, making himself invisible, as Kurenai thought. She was still watching the whole fight. From the distance, she could see Naruto landed a hit on that Sand Nin, Sabaku no Gaara.

Shukaku screamed as he felt that he was loosing control over his vessel and that Gaara was starting to rouse up.

Naruto landed on a nearby tree just close to where Kurenai was standing just awhile ago. He noticed that the earth was starting to shake as he watched Shukaku fall down and turn into a sand.

"NARUTO!" He heard someone called out.

Naruto turned around and saw his jounin sensei, Yuuhi Kurenai, standing 20 meters away from him. But then, the earth started to crumble again. He immediately flew through her direction and carried her as fast as he can, making sure to get away from what was about to happen.

Kurenai was about to say something but she suddenly noticed that their flight was somewhat starting to slow down and something unexpected happened as they land, Naruto started to fall unconscious but he managed to take the fall instead. From where they landed, they couldn't see Shukaku anymore but instead they could see the Konoha gate from the distance.

Naruto was a little droopy but Kurenai was telling him not to fall asleep since he was going to get a concussion or something. "Naru-kun, wake up… you have to stay awake… Naru-kun!" Kurenai shouted his name when she saw he was starting to fall asleep again.

Kurenai decided to carry him since they were close to the gate and hopefully they could get help from there.

"Naru-kun, are you awake?" Kurenai asked making sure that Naruto doesn't fall asleep.

"H-Hai…" Naruto whispered. His eyes were focused at the floor since his head was low. He noticed that he was being carried/ semi-dragged since the floor he was looking at was moving.

"Sen… sei…, I feel so… sleepy…" Naruto yawned.

"Naru-kun, you have to stay awake you hear me?-! Naru-kun!" Kurenai said. She noticed that his weight doubled slightly. She slowly dropped him on the ground and on Naruto's face was a smile, a small smile he carried for her.

"Naru-kun…" Kurenai shook the said genin but he didn't stir or something.

"Naru-kun…" She tried again but nothing happens.

"Naru-kun…" She said again.

"…" No reply.

"…" Kurenai shook him again.

"…" Once again nothing happens.

_-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-_

**A/N:** Yay another chapter out and guess what today (Aug. 14) is my birthday! Thanks for waiting for this chapter and OH don't worry I didn't kill Naruto in here so, don't kill me hehe… See you in the next chapter and the next chapter will mostly feature what will happen next after the chuunin arc but then again this is where I will drop the canon act so nobody can guess what will happen bwahahahaha… just kidding! I love the reviews by the way! And your reviews are widely appreciated!

See you in the next chapter!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**  
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**Chapter 9**

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Morning breeze walked across the village of Konoha and soon people will start a new day. Eventually, in front of the main building of the Konoha Hospital stood an old man with bouquets of flowers at his right arm and food at the same time at his left arm. As he walked through the entrance of the hospital few nurses and doctors greeted him with a smile and he as well. He directly walked to the registration's table and asked a couple of questions and left with a smile just like when he entered the hospital awhile ago.

In front of room 541, the same man stood in front of the door. He knocked once and twice, and on the second knock a voice was heard from the other side of the door. "Come in." It said. The old man opened the door and saw a smiling Sandaime seated on his bed. "Ah... Jiraiya, it's so nice to see you..." Sandaime said.

"I came once I heard about what had happened five days ago. But then again I was too late... I should have bee--..." Jiraiya was about to continue but Sandaime cut in.

"None sense!" Sandaime shouted.

Immediately, Jiraiya stopped from whatever he was going to say. Sandaime sighed and continued... "None of us knew that _he_ would come. I was lucky that Ayeka was there to help me when I was almost nearly close to my death." Sandaime sighed again. He looked at the window and lowered his gaze. He noticed the plastic bag Jiraiya was carrying. "What's that?" Sandaime asked.

"Oh... this!" Jiraiya said, holding the plastic bag up. "It's for Naruto... now that you've asked... I'm going to visit him... do you want to come with me?" Jiraiya asked.

"That would be great." Sandaime replied with a smile.

It didn't took them long to reach Naruto's room since his room was on the same floor. Jiraiya was about to knock but he heard voices from the inside. He was definitely sure that the voice was NOT Naruto's and it was definitely a woman's voice. The said voice was... giggling (?)

'_Eh...?'_ Both Jiraiya and Sandaime thought.

"What are you both doing outside Naruto's door?" A voice came out of no where. Both men turned around and saw Hatake Kakashi, Umino Iruka, Momochi Zabuza, and Yuuhi Kurenai.

"Ah... well you see... me and Sarutobi-sensei heard some voices coming from the other side of the door. And I bet it belongs to three beautiful women." Jiraiya said with a smile on his face.

"Women... Huh?" Kakashi said.

"Why won't we check who they are?-!" Zabuza said almost shouting. He held on to the doorknob and forcefully opened the door. All of the men were almost knocked out when they saw the following women around Naruto's bed! Let's take for example:

(1) Mitarashi Anko – sleeping beside Naruto (left side), wearing only her skirt and the thing she called clothes, "fishnets" to be exact.

(2) Uzuki Yugao – sleeping comfortably at the right side of Naruto without her mask.

The third one was unexplainable, Haku who was sleeping on top of Naruto. She was mostly clinging on Naruto's chest, while Anko and Yugao were holding Naruto's arms. Everyman who would have seen the whole thing can have the righteous reason to kill Uzumaki Naruto. For goodness' sake, there were three gorgeous women sleeping around him! One of them would snap... Any minute now...

"What the hell is this?-!" Jiraiya, Kakashi and Zabuza shouted, making the occupants awake within a second or two.

When the three women woke up, they immediately motioned the visitors of the room to keep quiet but then again... they were just too late. They could all see Naruto's eye lashes moving slowly up and down. By the time he fully opened his eyes, he blinked several times but then he snapped... He screamed the moment he saw Haku on top of him. Haku was about to close Naruto's mouth but he moved his face to the right and then to the left.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Anko asked.

Naruto was breathing uncontrollably. Everyone knew that he was going to shout hysterically again. "Naruto-kun, please calm down..." Kurenai said as she made Naruto fall asleep with her genjutsu.

"Well done, Kurenai-chan." Sandaime said with a smile. He turned around and said. "We should all go now..." Sandaime said and faced Kurenai again. "We'll leave Naruto-kun to you... We'll just comeback first thing in the morning..." With that speech, Sandaime walked to the door and everybody followed.

Kurenai was left staring at the door then back to Naruto. She remembered the same scene she was in before seated in front of him, waiting for him to rouse up. The moment she sat down, she turned off the genjutsu she used on her student. Surprisingly, he didn't wake up. Naruto just continued to sleep as though nothing had happened earlier.

'_This is going to be a long day...'_ Kurenai thought.

Minutes... Hours had passed, Kurenai was already asleep. She could feel the warm breeze flowing down to her skin, hair, and she could feel it entering into her body. It may seem awkward but... She could feel the sunlight, almost dancing around her. She slowly opened her eyes. As her eye lashes started to flick up and down, she noticed that it was already morning and Naruto was nowhere insight! She heard a sound coming from the bathroom and soon the door opened revealing Naruto himself, wearing the hospital robe.

_# Flush... # _

"Oh... you're already awake... How was you're sleep, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asked with a smile as he sat on a chair close to her.

"I should be asking you that question..., Naru-kun." Kurenai replied with a grin on her face.

They both sat there looking at each other... Nothing to say... But then...

_# Crrummbllle... # _

Kurenai chuckled at the scene, Naruto grinning sheepishly and at the same time scratching the back of his head. "I guess someone is hungry..." Kurenai said as she stood from the bed. But before Kurenai entered the bathroom... "Naruto..." Kurenai called.

"Yes, sensei?"

"If I was sleeping on the bed... Where did you sleep last night?" Kurenai asked her blushing student and slowly she couldn't help but to smile at him.

"I... Well...I d-didn't sleep last night..." Naruto said as he looked at the floor. Kurenai remembered how she looked at the hospital's floor back when Naruto was hospitalized after their mission at Wave Country, and now, it was Naruto's turn to crash and burn.

"Why?" Kurenai asked. She was trying to look directly at Naruto's eyes but Naruto was looking away from her.

'_Me and my big mouth!' _Naruto cursed himself several times.

Unknowingly, Kurenai was watching every expression that was coming out from his face. "I... I was... W-w-watch-watching y-you... as you sleep... last night..." Naruto sighed. He didn't know why but he felt uneasy when he said those things but now it became even worse than before... He couldn't look at her nor say a word to her.

Kurenai looked at Naruto but this time she held his cheek and said... "You know, I find it really – really sweet, Naru-kun." Naruto looked back at her and noticed that her face was still in front of him, only, it was closer. Close enough to feel her lips connected to his cheeks.

_# Knock-knock... #_

Once they heard the knock at the door, Kurenai straightened herself and opened the door revealing... Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Yugao, Anko, Kakashi, Zabuza, Haku, and Iruka.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted as he walked to his Otouto. "I see that you're doing fine... Did you finally get over what had happened yesterday?" Kakashi asked with a grin on his face. Naruto knew he was grinning under his facemask. Naruto hated his older brother for this.

"..." Naruto just sighed and noticed something in the room. It was a smell of a newly cooked ramen from the Ichiraku's Ramen House.

"Hungry?" Anko asked.

Naruto looked at the bag then to Anko. He was sure that it was a miso ramen not only that it was two miso ramen, probably, for Kurenai-sensei as he thought. Naruto looked at the bag again. Anko could tell that Naruto is hungry from the way he looks at the ramen she had bought.

"Why won't you seat here with me, Naruto-kun?" Anko asked, motioning him to seat next to her on the couch. Everybody was watching both of them. Naruto noticed the other ramen bowl. "Kurenai-sensei, let's eat." Naruto politely said.

But then...

"I'm not hungry..." Kurenai immediately said. She just sat back at the bed where Haku and Kakashi sat. She didn't even look at Anko and Naruto; she just kept on staring at the window with a stern look on her face. Nobody noticed it since she was looking at the window but they weren't expecting for her to leave and slightly slammed the door to which everybody's surprise. When she was outside, she looked at the floor, not knowing why... she felt that there was something wrong in her. She held her cheek and noticed that it was wet, slowly, she pressed her lips. Without a minute or two... She decided to leave without saying a single goodbye.

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2 days later...

Currently at training ground 19, Hinata and Kiba were sitting on a log. They were presently waiting for their team mate, Naruto, and their Jounin Sensei, Kurenai. But then instead of Kurenai, Kakashi was the one who poofed in, making Hinata surprised as she was expected to be.

"Yo!" Kakashi greeted. "Where's Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked, making both genins confused.

"A-ano... didn't you see him, Kakashi-sensei?" Hinata asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "So... he hasn't showed up yet?" Kakashi asked again.

"Who hasn't showed up yet?" A voice asked from behind.

"K-kurenai-sensei..." Both Hinata and Kiba said in chorus.

"Have you seen Naruto-kun around?" Kakashi asked, direct to the point with his lazy voice.

"No" Kurenai replied. _'Naruto's missing?-!'_ Kurenai thought. She turned to Kiba and ordered him to find Naruto's scent with Akamaru's help. Surprisingly, Naruto was immediately found. He was walking at the main street of Konoha, wearing a long-sleeved black polo, pale shorts, black ninja sandals, and he kept two buttons of his top unclosed while his forehead protector was around his neck which served as a necklace at the moment. As he walked, he couldn't help but to feel that someone or somebody was watching him. Truth be told, it wasn't just the four ninjas following him but also every villager he walked passed through. Naruto stopped for a while and so as the ninjas who were following him.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" A voice asked from behind. They already knew who the owner of that voice was but as they turned around, they were surprise to see Anko, Haku, and Yugao.

"We were just following my little brother, Anko." Kakashi replied.

"Hush down... he'll hear us." Anko said.

They continued to watch Naruto's movements. He continued to walk again but then he stopped to a familiar flower shop, the Yamanaka Flower Shop. The group changed their appearance as they walked inside the flower shop. But Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai didn't use henge. They walked inside and soon Ino greeted them. Sakura was there and so as Ten-ten.

"Ah... Naruto-kun, how may I help you?" Ino asked, walking to the male blonde.

"I... I don't know what to pick... Exactly..." Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head.

"Are you... I mean... Is it for a girl?" Ino asked the big question.

At this point, everyone in the room started to listen intently. They even pretended that they were interested with the flowers around the shop.

"Yes it is for a girl..." Naruto replied. He was going around the shop still looking for the perfect flower and said... "Found it!"

Ino turned around and was surprised to find the flower Naruto was holding. It was a red flower almost as red as Kurenai's eyes. Then suddenly an idea struck down on Ino... "Too bad she already saw the flowers..." Ino said as she pointed at Kurenai.

Naruto blinked once then twice... He looked at where Ino was pointing at then he saw his jounin sensei, Kurenai. Not only that, he also saw Anko and Kakashi, looking at him as if he had done something wrong. Naruto only smiled at Ino as he gave the dozen of flowers he had took moments ago.

"No... Whatever you're thinking it is not true." Naruto said.

"Oh... I see..." Ino frowned just when she took the flowers from Naruto.

"Um... Ino..." Naruto called-out.

"What is it?-!" Ino asked but she suddenly forgot the temper she added.

"Um... I-I was... Wondering if you could use the white ribbon instead of the red..." Naruto said in a low voice. He was definitely taken aback when Ino suddenly shouted. _'What's wrong with her?'_ Naruto thought.

'_You're so... Stupid! How could you do that in front of Naruto-kun?-!'_ Ino cursed herself several times.

"Um... Ino, are you alright?" Naruto asked. He obviously saw how Ino punish herself mentally especially in front of him.

"Huh?" Ino asked, oblivious to the things happening around her.

"I asked you if you were alright... You practically gone berserk a while ago." Naruto said with a smile.

"I am fine now..." Ino said. She had to do something if she wanted to have Naruto. Then she finally did it. She went out to the cashier's corner and went closer to Naruto. As she walked up to him, she suddenly hugged him and then kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks..." She said.

Once Ino said her thanks, Sakura suddenly shouted against her rival. "Take your arms away from Naruto-kun!"

"Make me." Ino said with a sly smile on her face.

Having an inner self can sometimes give you an advantage and sometimes it's a different part of the story.

"Why you..!" Sakura shouted and started to attack her rival. But something was off... She wasn't punching her opponent. She was punching something warm, soft and black. It was Naruto's wings, covering himself and Ino from the inside.

"That's enough..." Naruto said in a calm voice. He was holding Sakura's hands.

"I-I'm sorry..." Sakura said resting her head on Naruto's chest.

"Oh well... Look at the time I have to go!" Naruto said quickly as he let go of Sakura and run for the flowers. "Here ya go..." Naruto said, leaving an amount of money on the cashier's table. "Ja ne!" With that said, Naruto ran through the door.

Everyone followed the only one who were left were the genins and the other kunoichis who were looking at the entrance door.

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A man sighed just when he heard his master said the worst news he had ever heard. "Why are you retiring?" The man asked again. He knew it's a lame question but once his master's gone who would replace him?

"I'm old... Isn't that obvious?" The old man said.

A woman who seemed to be around her early twenties, chuckled at the old man's reply. "I think... Jiraiya's afraid about who will be picked as the next Hokage, Sandaime-jiji." The woman said with a chuckle.

"There will be no doubt... Both of you are selected as candidates." Sandaime said as if it was a normal thing to say.

"Wait just a minute! Did you just say 'both of you'?" The woman asked from her bed. She was still hospitalized because of some injuries she received from the recent attack given by the Sand-Sound at the end of the Chuunin Exam.

"Yes, I did say 'both of you', Ayeka-chan." Sandaime replied with a grin on his face.

"I thought so..." Ayeka sighed as she replied.

# Knock – knock #

"Wow... I'm popular today." Ayeka said as she looked at the opening door. "Hey Naruto-kun" Ayeka said but then noticed something behind his back. Ayeka smiled when she saw what Naruto brought out something from his back.

"This is for you…" Naruto said as he put it on Ayeka's arms.

"Thanks, Naruto-kun, you really shouldn't have." Ayeka said as she looked at the beautiful bouquet.

Meanwhile...

"He went inside the hospital, really dressed up, and with bouquet of flowers along with him... I smell something fishy..." Anko said as she looked at the entrance of the hospital. She was with Kakashi and Kurenai, while the others were already gone. For the meantime, Anko walked in as well as Kakashi and Kurenai.

'_I don't get it... Why am I here?'_ Kurenai asked inside her thoughts.

'_**You're here because you're checking if Naruto-kun is cheating on you...'**_ Her inner-self said, making the real Kurenai agitated.

'_That is not true!'_ Kurenai shouted in her mind.

'_**Then... Why are you here... Visiting some patient, perhaps?'**_ Her inner-self replied. With such victory Kurenai didn't reply.

Naruto was still widely awake when suddenly a knock was heard from the door. It was a nurse, carrying a tray full of food for the patient. As the nurse walked in, she didn't pay any attention to the ninjas outside the door. By the time she walked out, she saw the three ninjas eavesdropping at the door. She was going to ask those ninjas if there was something wrong but yet again she didn't pay any attention to any of them again.

"Sensei, you should eat... You probably haven't taken you're breakfast." Naruto said. Unknown to him, Kakashi and Anko were listening intently behind the door and Kurenai was standing behind them. They already knew that Naruto was visiting a woman but one thing they didn't know... Who was that woman?

Back inside Ayeka's room, Jiraiya and Sandaime decided to sign Ayeka's discharge papers. When they were about to walk out the door, Jiraiya as well as his master was surprised to see two well-known ninjas eavesdropping on Ayeka's door. They just pretended that they didn't see the ninjas as they walked out from the door.

"Sandaime-sama, who's that woman Naruto's nursing on?" Anko asked immediately. She wanted to know who it was and probably she wanted to see who she really is.

Before Sandaime answered Anko's question, he sighed, and momentarily he answered her. "That woman is Naruto's first sensei. Her name is Aye---" Before Sandaime could finish on with his speech Anko interrupted him again.

"She's what?-!" Anko asked again, almost shouted. Sandaime sighed once again; he was starting to get annoyed at Anko's behavior. "But I thought Kakashi was Naruto's first sensei then next was Kurenai..." Anko said.

"No... That is not true..." Sandaime said.

"It's just that I was really the first..." A voice said from behind. Everybody turned around and was surprised to see Ayeka standing on her own.

"I tried to tell her to stay on her bed but she wouldn't listen... Gomen ne, Sandaime-jiji." Naruto said.

"That wouldn't be helped... Besides, I'm completely healed." Ayeka said with a grin on her face. She moved closer to Naruto only to whisper something to his ear that made him blush. Ayeka turned around and faced the other ninjas. "Is she your jounin sensei, Naruto-kun?" Ayeka asked as she looked at the said Jounin instructor. Kurenai could tell that Ayeka was looking at her from head to toe. It was as if she was being studied. Naruto could see how Ayeka looked at Kurenai.

"Uh... Hey, why won't we get something to eat?" Naruto suggested but it was actually a way for Ayeka to stop staring at Kurenai.

Minutes passed on, they decided to eat at Ichiraku's Ramen House.

"Naruto! I see you brought friends..." Teuchi, the owner of the ramen stand, said. He smiled at the guest Naruto brought and noticed a few additions in it too. "What's this..? Is she you're new girlfriend, Naruto-kun?" Teuchi asked, looking at Ayeka which made Naruto blush for a second.

"She's NOT my girlfriend!" Naruto answered back.

"Relax... I'm just kidding..." Teuchi said with a smile.

'_You better be...'_ Anko said in her thoughts.

"So... What will be it for today?" Teuchi asked.

"I'll have miso ramen with chilli sauce in it." Ayeka said.

"I'll have what she's having." Naruto said.

"Just miso ramen..." Kurenai said.

"Beef ramen with extra chilli..." Anko said.

"Chicken ramen..." Kakashi said.

"Miso ramen..." Jiraiya said.

"Miso ramen as well..." Sandaime said.

Once Ayame was done jotting down their orders, Teuchi, her father, started to cook it but for the meantime the group started a little discussion...

"For how long was I gone?" Ayeka asked.

"I don't know... Probably around six or seven years..." Naruto replied.

"That long? How old are you now?" Ayeka asked.

"I'm 14 years old." Naruto said.

"14 huh? I see… then, on this year you'll be 15 years old." Ayeka said. She paused for a while and continued. "Surely enough, at this age you already have a girlfriend." Ayeka chuckled for the meantime and still she continued on. "So, did you found that special someone?" Ayeka asked more like teased. Naruto hated when his former sensei started to ask this kind of questions. She will not stop until he surrenders and surrendering is not in his to do list. "Why won't you tell us who she really is, Naruto-kun..." Ayeka said.

Seemingly, this caught everyone's attention which made Naruto nervous to his very core. "Come on... Are you all serious? Why do you want to know? Besides, it's just an infatuation... Really..." Naruto said trying to convince five adults around him while the other two namely, Sarutobi, and Kurenai, just stayed calm. They too wanted to know who this mystery girl is.

'_There are a lot of females in Konoha, beautiful females to be exact. But who could she be?'_ Kurenai thought.

"_**Why do you want to know?"**_ Kurenai's inner-self asked.

This inner-self of hers was starting to get annoying to the point that Kurenai wanted to hit her head to the wall. But then again people might think she'd gone crazy. With just the mere thought, Kurenai silenced herself.

"Here are your orders." Ayame said as she placed the each meal on the table.

"I guess knowing Naruto's love interest will have to be set aside for a moment..." Anko said with a grin which earned her a sigh from the third and a grin from Jiraiya.

After eating at Ichiraku's, they all paid separately and walked to their respective destinations. But Jiraiya and Ayeka went with Sandaime to the Hokage tower for some unknown reason, while Naruto went to his apartment which he called 'home'. Anko, Kakashi, and Kurenai went to patrol around Konoha.

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**A/N: **TBC…

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	10. Chapter 10

**The Dokushinsha**  
**by eixirt**

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**Chapter 10**

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Konohagakure no Sato was never been like this ever since the invasion of the sand-sound Nin. These proved the invulnerability of the village and even its villagers. It wasn't until that the Third Hokage announced to a board meeting that he will be retiring soon.

News can fly like a hawk and soon everybody started to talk about it. Rumors didn't stop until it reached the outside walls of Konoha. Slowly, the help being asked from the leaf ninjas were becoming limited. _It couldn't be helped,_ just as Sandaime thought.

Naruto heard the news which he called trash. He decided to hear it from the old goat himself. He ran fast as he could to the Sarutobi compound.

"Ah... Naruto-kun, it's so nice---" Sandaime partly said but then...

"Cut the crap! Is it true that you're going to resign?-!" Naruto asked. He was looking straight at Sarutobi's eyes.

At first, Sarutobi didn't look; he just sighed and smiled which made Naruto frustrated to the bone. "What is it?" Naruto asked again.

"True... I'm going to resign... Didn't Ayeka-chan tell you? Or haven't she told you that she's one of the candidates as one of the new Hokage?" Sandaime said.

Naruto was struck. Both of his fists were trembling in anger. He didn't expect Ayeka, his former sensei which he still recognizes as one of his senseis would not tell something like this to him. Sarutobi didn't expect of what he is seeing right now. He wouldn't think Naruto didn't know about this. By the time Sarutobi was going to open his mouth to talk to the blonde teenager, Naruto was already gone. Sarutobi only did was to sigh.

'_Darn her! Why wouldn't she tell something like this to me?-!'_ Naruto thought as he jumped to roof after roof of the village like as if he was looking for someone, until, he saw someone vaguely particular...

"ERO-SENNIN..!" The young blond shouted as he jumped down from the roof.

The said man stopped from his tracks. The Toad-Sannin, Jiraiya looked behind him with a dry and raised eyebrow. _'Darn brat, he never shows any respect.'_ Jiraiya thought. Naruto definitely got his attention.

"Ero-sennin, I wanted to see you!" Naruto said.

"Eh?" Was all Jiraiya had said but then... He added. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?-! What about my training?-!" Naruto exaggerated.

'_I knew it...'_ Jiraiya thought but then... _'Aha! I think I know what to do with this brat hee-hee...' _Jiraiya giggled with his thoughts.

"Oi, Ero-sennin! What are you thinking?-!" Naruto asked as he waved his hand in front of the said Sannin.

"Huh? Oh?" Was Jiraiya's first statement just then he continued. "Oh yeah... I've been thinking on what to teach you... since, we're going on a training trip." Jiraiya said.

"Really?-!" Naruto said. Obviously Naruto was ecstatic, a training trip with the Toad Sannin. The only thing left was how in hell he'll tell his Jounin sensei about this training trip?

"Don't worry about telling your Jounin sensei about our little trip. I'll talk to her, okay? Now, why won't you run off and get packin'..." Jiraiya said as he rubbed the young blonde's spiky hair.

"No."

"What?-!" Jiraiya asked looking confused at the young blonde.

"I... I'll tell her myself... It has to come from me." Naruto said.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow at the northern gate... around 10 am." Jiraiya said as he poofed away, leaving Naruto at the street with a heavy thought in mind.

Meanwhile...

Outside of a sweets shop stood Kakashi reading his new volume of the Icha Icha Paradise series. It hadn't taken long enough for his colleagues to come namely, Yuuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma. Both were looking at Kakashi with an annoyed look on their faces well not as annoyed as Kurenai. Kakashi had a smile on his face but both Kurenai and Asuma knew that he was smiling beneath his face mask BUT to their horror they both don't know what the heck he's smiling about...

"My – my – my... You both are getting along quite well lately..." Kakashi said which earned a blush from the chain smoker and a raised brow from the genjutsu mistress.

"Come on... you know why were here..." Kurenai said.

"... And besides even I don't want to keep 'our' special guests waiting." Asuma added.

It didn't take long for their guests to make their move. The sooner they realized their guests were gone. Kakashi told the other Elite Jounins to give their guests a proper welcoming as he would have to go and meet someone.

For the meantime, Asuma and Kurenai followed their guests, who apparently wore a black coat with red clouds as designs, stopped from their tracks and faced their pursuers. Both took off their hats to reveal their faces for their welcoming committee.

"It's been awhile, Kurenai-san and Asuma-san." The man said. He had a pair of red eyes that seemingly comparable with the Uchiha's.

Both Asuma and Kurenai now knew who they were talking to. The man who just greeted them was Uchiha Itachi, a former Konoha ninja but ever since the Uchiha massacre he became a missing ninja. The other man who was standing next to Uchiha Itachi was Hoshigaki Kisame. Both Kurenai and Asuma knew who the man was since he was listed in their enemy bingo book.

"Itachi-san, it seems like you're quite popular in this village." Kisame said not even looking at Itachi but instead looking at Kurenai and Asuma.

"Itachi, you came back to this village after what you have pulled... you have a lot of guts showing up again." Asuma said.

"I guess I have to take back what I have said, Itachi. You're quite hated in this village." Kisame said. But then as a few seconds passed on he was starting to get infuriated. He crept up to his sword also known as the 'Samehada' and smashed it on the ground, making a hole on it. "This guy is starting to get on my nerves. Shall I kill him?" Kisame said.

"It looks like we cannot leave this village without a fight. Don't over do it... your moves stand out to much." Itachi said without any emotion from his face.

"Then it's settled." Kisame said, moving back his sword from where it was placed. After three seconds, Kisame lounged in charging on to Asuma, who had managed to get his trench knives for protection.

'_Darn it... I'm being over-powered by the tip of the sword. This guy is so strong.'_ Asuma thought as he blocked the large sword with his trench knives over and over again. He can see the smirk on Kisame's face.

"What's the matter?-!" Kisame asked.

Asuma just glared at him not wanting to give a reply or even a retort.

"You really don't have to worry..." Kisame paused as he pressed the sword harder. But this time it's different. "...Because my Samehada..." Kisame added as he pressed the sword even harder until it managed to injure Asuma's left arm. "...Doesn't slice... It shaves!" Kisame shouted.

Asuma wasn't the only one busy for the moment. Kurenai was up against Uchiha Itachi. She only did where she's good at. She casted an illusionary technique, hoping to capture Itachi. At first, it worked after seeing the said Nukenin entangled by the wooden branches. But, after a couple of seconds, Kurenai was face-to-face with Itachi but instead of him tied on the tree it was Kurenai who was tied on it.

'_He countered my genjutsu.'_ Kurenai thought. She bit her lower lip for her to get out of the genjutsu. Once Kurenai was out from the genjutsu, she was greeted by a kick in the middle rib coming from Itachi. Kurenai managed to duck when Itachi was about to slash her with his kunai. But then, Kurenai didn't get to see Itachi's next attack, as she was soon flying to the lake next to them.

"Kurenai!" Asuma shouted.

"You have no time to look away from me!" Kisame said as he held his sword with both hands. Asuma knew what this shark-faced freak will do next. Kisame lounged again to attack. Asuma found himself defending himself again but this time it's different as he managed to slice Kisame's cheek which to his loss this made the shark-faced freak even more annoyed at him.

As both shinobis fought, Kurenai was trying to stand up from the landing but then...

"That was pretty nice, Kurenai-san. But..." Itachi said.

Kurenai, who was just recovering from the attack, hadn't got much time to move or escape. Itachi was just behind her and to the fact that she hadn't rose up from her feet. Just when Itachi was about to continue with his speech...

"But... this is the end for you that is." A voice interrupted the scene.

Both shinobis turned and saw Konoha's Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi.

"Hatake Kakashi." Itachi said, still not showing any signs of interest.

"Kakashi, what are you doing here?" Kurenai asked as she got up from her feet.

"Well, since I was the one who asked you two to look out for them... well... let's just say I was kind of worried for the both of you." Kakashi said.

Kurenai could tell that he was smiling since his revealed eye was formed to an arc. However, his reaction changed when he pulled up his hitai-ate to reveal his Sharingan.

"What does a renegade ninja like you want in this village?" Kakashi asked with his kunai pointed just above Itachi's right shoulder.

Itachi didn't answer his question nor even reacted to it. He just remained still like he didn't even hear a thing. His partner, on the other hand, was getting annoyed with his opponent, Asuma, who was able to dodge all of his attacks but when Asuma managed to slice Kisame's side. Kisame noticed his opponent's knives which have chakra on its edges, making the said knives sharp enough to cut through a tree with just one throw. Once Kisame saw this, he moved back and cast a set of hand seals and shouted. "Suiton: Suigodan no jutsu!**"** To his surprise, the technique wasn't a success.

"Hmph... I shouldn't have expected it was you... Copy Ninja Kakashi..." Kisame said.

'_Kage bushin...'_ Asuma thought.

"I was just going to buy some sweets... but then, I came across with some guy name Uchiha Itachi and the monster from the Hidden Village of the Mist, Hoshigaki Kisame." Kakashi said.

Kisame chuckled, at first. "I'm flattered you know my name, Copy Ninja..." He paused. A chuckle came out again but this time Kisame held out his Samehada, starting a battle position, while Kakashi readied a kunai from his back. "I think I'll enjoy shaving you to death." Kisame said, pointing at large sword to Kakashi.

Both ninjas were ready to fight but then...

"Stop it, Kisame." It was Itachi who stopped the upcoming fight. "Do not forget our purpose here. You didn't come here to get hurt." Itachi added.

"Then tell us your purpose." Kakashi said.

"We just came to find something we're looking for." Itachi said.

"And what exactly are you looking for?" Kakashi asked as he held up his kunai in front of Itachi.

"This won't take too long unlike what just Kisame did." Itachi said as he slowly faced Kakashi. But Kakashi saw what was about happen with his Sharingan. He immediately cast a jutsu and said. "Suiton: Suijinheki!" Soon Kakashi was covered with water, using it as a shield from the upcoming attack. But the attack didn't come; hence, it was merely a test.

"Your eye of sight is impressive." Another Itachi showed up behind Kakashi, stabbing him from behind with his kunai. But to everyone's surprise Kakashi suddenly dissipated himself, revealing that he was just a clone. As for the real Kakashi who suddenly jumped from bellow, he moved away with Kurenai in tow. Kurenai was left wondering why Kakashi was carrying her. Then suddenly, in front of her was a huge explosion of water. Once the explosion was gone, the place looked like it was currently raining and Uchiha Itachi was still standing from his place like nothing had happened and next to him was Kisame.

"What the?-!"

"You both better keep your guards up... this is Uchiha Itachi we're fighting here... the man who killed his own clan single handedly." Kakashi said. He looked at Itachi again and said. "What is you're purpose here exactly? Are you here for Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

Kisame looked at Kakashi with an annoyed look. He stepped forward but Itachi's hand blocked him. "Don't." Said Itachi. Kisame was about to say something but then he just watched what will his partner will do to this situation.

"We are not looking for my little weak so-called 'brother' of mine... we're here for the 'Fourth's Legacy'**.**" Itachi said.

"Fourth's Legacy?" Kurenai wondered out loud.

"Are you looking for Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked as he brought forth his kunai towards Itachi.

Itachi didn't answer. He just stared at Kakashi as if he hadn't said a thing. Kakashi, on the other hand, noticed something. It was Itachi's eyes. _'Impossible...'_ Kakashi thought. He had to warn Asuma and Kurenai about it but suddenly...

A splash of water unexpectedly burst out from the middle and the next thing they knew Naruto was at the middle, looking directly at Itachi and Kisame.

"I take it this is Uzumaki Naruto..." Kisame said.

"True." Itachi said.

"Naruto, get back here!" Kurenai shouted but Naruto doesn't seem to respond to her, instead...

Naruto just stood from his place not even moving. _'What is he doing?'_ Kakashi thought. _'Could it be... impossible... he can't counter such technique.'_ Kakashi continued to wonder around his head.

'_This is bad... Itachi's going to fight us now.'_ Kakashi thought as he saw Itachi brought out both of his hands. From a slight second, he was gone, leaving a grinning Kisame. Naruto knew already what was going to happen next. _'It was very predictable.'_ He thought.

"Why don't you just come with us like a nice little boy, Naruto-kun?" Itachi said as he pointed his kunai on his neck. At this point, Asuma, Kakashi, and Kurenai didn't make any drastic movements. They just watched the whole situation for Naruto's sake.

Kisame's grin grew. They finally had the jinchuuriki or did they?

"You're fast... but not that fast." Naruto said as he suddenly dissipated to a puff of smoke.

'_Kage Bushin?'_ Kurenai thought out loud.

"I guess I can't persuade you in a nice way... how about this way?" Itachi said as he charged at the young blonde. He immediately casted a few set of hand seals and said. "Suiton: Suiryudan no jutsu!" Soon, there came a water dragon like figure coming at Naruto's way. Everybody hadn't got much time to evade but then...

"Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki!!!" A voice shouted from above obviously making a scene.

Once both jutsus collided and dissipated, everybody saw the new additions and they were...

Momochi Zabuza and his sister, Haku (who was hugging Naruto) checking if he was alright.

"Are you alright, Naruto-kun? Did those bad guys hurt you?" Haku asked as she held Naruto's cheek, directly looking at his cerulean eyes. Once Haku let him go, she hugged the blonde boy once again and faced Itachi herself.

With a determined look on her face she suddenly spat out. "How dare you do that to my Naruto-kun... you will pay with your life for doing such a thing!" Haku formed a set of hand seals and shouted.

"Hyoton: Haryu Moko**"** (Haku / Itachi)

"What the?-!" Haku didn't expect that this man would be able to counter her jutsu with the same jutsu but then realization just sunk in when she saw her opponent's eyes. _'No wonder he knows what was I about to prepare... he has a Sharingan.'_ Between her thoughts, she hadn't recovered from the attack until...

Itachi cast a few set of hand seals and said. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu," He blew an enormous ball of fire directly coming at Haku's way. Zabuza was about to help her little sister but then a familiar sword came crashing on his way, the Samehada...

"It's been a while, Zabuza, why won't you and I have a little reconciliation, ne?" Kisame said as he swung his sword again, clashing with Zabuza's 'Kubikiri Houcho'.

"Sure... when was the time we last fought?-!" Zabuza said as he blocked an attack.

Kisame didn't answer. He just snickered as he continued to swing his sword at Zabuza but then somebody/something interrupted them. A kunai with an explosive tag came between them. Once the smoke from the attack was out, a voice was soon followed by it.

"I hope none of you mind if I joined in..."

"Great way for you to interrupt us but anyway—"Zabuza said but was cut off by Asuma himself.

"What do you mean interrupt? I just simply missed with my kunai... that was supposed to hit his head not the ground." Asuma said.

"What?-! For a jounin, you simply can't aim well..." Zabuza replied back.

Kisame was watching the two bickering about a simple thing but then he decided to break it off. "For goodness sake will you two get on with it!" Kisame shouted, making both shinobis look at him at the same time. Both nodding their heads, they attacked Kisame from side to side.

Meanwhile, back with Haku, she wasn't prepared for the upcoming attack. She just suddenly heard someone yelled. "Suiton: Suikoudan no jutsu" She watched in awe at how amazing 'her' Naruto-kun fought this Uchiha. Naruto, on the other hand, was looking furiously at Itachi. He was watching his every move just then he noticed that Itachi was walking directly at Kisame's place.

"Kisame, let's go we've stayed here for quite awhile... we don't want any other welcoming committee coming our way." Itachi said and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Kisame stopped from attacking one of his opponents. His sword was about to slice/shave a part of Asuma's skin at the part of his neck. He grinned again and with that he left.

"Glad that was over..." Kakashi said.

"Got that right." Asuma said. Silence came in just as everybody rested for a while. They wouldn't never thought fighting with some S-Class Nukenins will be like this, knowing that they both hadn't even showed their real powers but then...

"NAARUUTOOO!" Haku shouted as she immediately hugged the said shinobi, thanking him for saving her from that Uchiha they fought awhile ago. She was hugging and kissing him all at the same time. Naruto, on the other hand, was trying to get Haku off of him but to no avail... he was too tired to fight back, especially with a woman who had eyes for him.

"Naruto, take your hands off my sister!" Zabuza shouted, pointing his sword at the said blonde.

"What?-! Tell that to her!" Naruto said as he continued to get Haku off him.

"Haku!" Zabuza shouted, obviously enraged at his little sister's attitude but then... miraculously, Haku let Naruto go.

As this was happening, almost everybody was laughing at the two... well almost. Kurenai found herself a bit irritated and to the fact that she didn't know why.

'_I don't need this!'_ Kurenai stormed off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Kakashi asked but Kurenai didn't answer she just continued to run away...

Nobody had noticed but Naruto had a small smile on his face as he watched Kurenai run away.

"What's up with her?" Asuma asked. Zabuza and Haku just shrugged.

"You know how the female mind works... it's such a mystery that even I can't comprehend." Kakashi said which earned him a look from Haku.

"I guess we better go before my sister here turns someone into an icicle." Zabuza said as he pulled her sister along with him.

"I better go too... see you guys around." Asuma said as he waved his goodbyes.

Once everybody was gone, Kakashi finally spoke. "I want to thank you for suddenly showing up, Ayeka-san. If you didn't show up we could have been toast and I mean that literally."

"That was nothing but what amuses me is why were they were looking for Naruto-kun?" Naruto, or shall I say, Ayeka said as she dropped the henge she had awhile ago. From what she was expecting, no one was supposed to know she was Ayeka but apparently Kakashi beat her up to it.

"That I don't know..." Kakashi replied.

"Hatake-san, how did you know who I was?" Ayeka asked.

"It's kinda simple you see when Naruto sees his Jounin Sensei, Kurenai, the one who suddenly walked away, in distress he immediately helps her, take cares of her, and the like. So when Kurenai ran off, I would already suspect that Naruto would run after her even though Haku was all over him." Kakashi said.

Ayeka, on the other hand, shivered when she heard that familiar name. She now knew how Naruto felt whenever a group of females came wanting him in every way that they want. Kakashi watched Ayeka's reactions. Awhile ago she was curious and then suddenly her face faltered as she had eaten a rotten miso ramen.

"Ayeka-san, are you alright?" Kakashi asked as he placed his hand on her shoulder shaking her in the process.

Ayeka looked at him first, then, brushed Kakashi's hand away. Her stare was suddenly turned into a glare which made Kakashi to step back.

"Uh..." Kakashi couldn't say a word.

"What? Cat caught your tongue? Oh yeah! You don't know how the female mind works... it's such a mystery that even you can't comprehend. Did that ring any bells for you?" Ayeka asked the dumbfounded Kakashi. He was about to say something but Ayeka already poofed away.

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The Main Street of Konoha was filled with enormous busy people. Some were still busy with the reconstruction of some buildings and places around the village but that didn't matter to a certain kunoichi...

Kurenai had been walking around the village not knowing where she would go. _'I'm so stupid! Why did I have to run like that?-! Now they probably think that I'm a complete idiot.'_ She thought as she continuously walked to the main street until she decided to walk back to her apartment which to her surprise someone was waiting for her.

"Naruto-kun?" Kurenai said, stopping from her tracks.

The said blonde looked at her direction. "Kurenai-sensei..." He said with a smile but then his smile faded. "Um... uh... there's something I have to tell you..." He said, not even looking at Kurenai's eyes.

Kurenai looked at Naruto for awhile. She wasn't sure but there's something wrong by the way Naruto looked at her. "By the looks on your face this is should be serious... why won't we go inside for awhile, ne?" Kurenai said with a small smile on her face.

'_Oh Kami! There's that feeling again...' _Naruto said in his mind.

'_**Relax, Kit. It's not like you're going to propose to her or something... you're just going to tell her that you're going on a training trip with that white haired sannin.'**_ Kyuubi said to his dreading vessel.

Naruto was currently waiting for his jounin sensei at the living room. He sat at the couch, still thinking how to start his speech.

'_**For goodness sake get on with it will you?-! By the time you look at her face, you're gonna blow up in front of her!'**_ Kyuubi said.

When Kyuubi cuts off their link, the first thing Naruto saw was Kurenai, asking him if he was alright.

"AHH!" Naruto suddenly yelped when he saw Kurenai.

"Naruto, it's just me... are you alright?" Kurenai asked again. This time she looked directly at Naruto's eyes.

Meanwhile...

'_**Kit, if you're gonna mess up then you better not do it... you might end up proposing to this lady or something.' **_Kyuubi interrupted once again.

'_What are you talking about?-!'_ Naruto replied back. He was between conversation with Kurenai and the nine-tailed demon fox himself.

'_**What I'm saying is if you mess up and ended up telling her your bottled feelings... what do you think she'll say?'**_Kyuubi said inside his jail.

'_What?-! Well... I don't know. Actually, I... I haven't realized if I'm going to tell her that.'_ Naruto replied.

'_**I may be a demon and a fox but I have feelings too... but if you keep those emotions bottled up for so long... it will give you grief than you would never imagine...'**_Kyuubi said.

'_I guess so...'_ Naruto said as he ended the telepathic link. Once he was back to reality, he saw the ceiling and it was just until now that he realized that he was lying on the couch. He sat up and noticed that Kurenai was nowhere insight. He stood up and walked around the place looking for Kurenai.

Kurenai, on the other hand, was currently making some tea just in case Naruto woke up. She waited for the last few seconds until...

"Naruto-kun, I didn't know you where already awake... how are you feeling?" Kurenai asked as she placed the beverage in two cups, one for her and one for Naruto.

"I'm fine." Naruto said. _'Darn it! There it goes again...'_ Naruto thought.

"You sure? You don't feel like fainting or something?" Kurenai asked.

'_Fainting?'_ Naruto cocked an eyebrow.

"So, what were you going to tell me?" Kurenai asked.

"Right... that... he-he-he... '_Hear it goes'_... Kurenai-sensei, I uh... I l-lov... I mean, I... I'm leaving... I'm leaving for a training trip with Jiraiya-sama... you know him... his one of the legendary sannin." Naruto said. Meanwhile, inside his head... Kyuubi sighed in relief just when his jailor had managed to say it all out right.

After hearing those words, Kurenai seemed to have blackened out. She couldn't explain as to why was she feeling so uneasy about this news. Sure he was going with Jiraiya, one of the legendary three, and also a student of the third hokage (who apparently is the most powerful among the five kages in the shinobi world).

"Naruto, I... I don't know where to start... I know you'll be safe since you said that Jiraiya-sama is going with you but..." Kurenai started but it seems like she's losing the right words but after knowing that there were people after him including Uchiha Itachi and his lackeys. This didn't go unnoticed by Naruto.

Naruto watched Kurenai's reactions awhile ago he can tell that she's worried but now he can see fear in her eyes which worried him even more. "Kurenai-sensei, I know this is sudden and I don't know if this will comfort you..." With that said, Naruto walked up to the said woman.

Kurenai was taken aback, she didn't expect this from Naruto. She saw him walking up to her and hugged her in a way he hadn't done before. She could feel both of his arms giving her warmth and comfort. "Kurenai-sensei, I've wanted to tell you this I know it's sudden but I will tell you about it anyway... Kurenai-sensei, I... I'm in love with you..." Naruto finally said it. The moment he let her go... he was only greeted by a shocked or nevertheless Kurenai had an unexplainable look on her face.

"N-N-Naruto..." Kurenai stuttered in a low voice.

"I know you probably think that I'm confused but I'm not!" Naruto said in defense. "I do love you, Kurenai." Naruto said, dropping the 'sensei'. He looked at Kurenai's wine-red crimson eyes. From what he could see, she was definitely shocked. For the meantime, Kyuubi was cursing his jailor for his stupidity and the like.

"I guess I better leave now, Kurenai-sensei..." Naruto said as he stood up from the couch. With his head low, he walked to the door and for a second or two he glanced at Kurenai, hoping that she would look back.

But she never did...

Naruto continued to walk alongside the streets around Konoha. It was becoming dark as he saw the sun set from horizon. He didn't know how long he was inside Kurenai's apartment. The moment he remembered what he had done, he wanted not to blame himself as to why the in hell he did that. He sighed as he continued to walk. He hadn't even realized there were some people looking at him from the distance or even some people calling out for him. It had taken him several minutes to reach his apartment. Once he opened the apartment's door, he was greeted by tempting aroma coming from the kitchen.

"Naruto-kun, is that you?" A voice called out.

"Hai..." Naruto replied.

After a couple of minutes, Naruto saw Ayeka with a hot bowl of miso ramen. She was living with him ever since she was back from her so called trip. But right now, Ayeka was looking at Naruto with a raised eyebrow and said. "What are you waiting for? Come on let's eat." Ayeka said.

Ayeka looked at her student, who was looking at the ramen before him. She wasn't sure as to why was he acting like this. It wasn't the food since she knows that Naruto loves ramen or even any food that was being served to him.

"Hey, Jiraiya told me about this trip of yours... so, when are you guys leaving?" Ayeka asked.

Naruto looked up and said. "Tomorrow... 10 in the morning at the northern gate."

"Okay then... I guess you better sleep early... for an early start." Ayeka said with a smile on her face.

Naruto looked at her with a raised brow. _'Am I dreaming?'_ He thought. He slowly stood up but before he could even reach the bedroom...

"Wait just a minute!" Ayeka said.

"What?-!" Naruto asked.

"You almost forgot to clean the dishes." Ayeka said as she sat at the couch flipping at the magazine's pages.

Naruto was about to whack his sensei but something made him not to do it since he could be simply overpowered, literally... so; he only did what he was told.

'_And I thought I wasn't dreaming... the heck! She hasn't even changed at all!'_ That was when he remembered his recent encounter with the Third Hokage. He immediately washed the dishes and went to look for his sensei at the living room.

"Ayeka-sensei..." Naruto called.

"Hmm?" Ayeka hummed. She didn't look at the said blonde before her as she was busy flipping and reading the magazine at her hands.

"How come you never told me that you were chosen as one of the candidates to be the next Hokage?" Naruto said in a serious tone.

Ayeka sensing where this conversation would lead to, she put the magazine back to its place and looked at Naruto straight to his eyes. "I simply didn't tell you because it doesn't matter." Ayeka said.

"Well... it matters to me!" Naruto shouted.

Ayeka was taken aback. This was the first time she'd seen and heard Naruto raised his tone at her like this.

"First, Sandaime-jiji and then you! Who's next Kakashi-onii-san?-! You're all starting to be like the villagers before! All lies..!" Naruto shouted.

Ayeka listened to every word Naruto had said. Truly, he had felt so much hurt in every way back from his childhood years. Ayeka slowly walked up to him and caressed both of his wet cheeks.

"I'm not like those villagers, Naruto-kun... and you know that. And for goodness sake, will you stop crying?-! It doesn't suit you!" Ayeka said with a smile.

Naruto looked at her and smiled as well. He wiped away his tears. "You really know how to cheer up people, don't you?" Naruto said in a low voice although Ayeka managed to catch it from a distance.

"I heard that! You of all people should go to bed! Or else..." Naruto knew what she meant when he saw her forming a set of hand seals. Without any hesitation, he immediately ran to bed and hoping that tomorrow will be a new day for him. After a few hours, Ayeka walked inside the said bedroom and went to sleep as well.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Morning breeze flew across Konoha. It was definitely great to start the day with a few walks or a hundred or two of jogging around Konoha as Gai-san would suggest. As for now that didn't matter. In the middle of the street, people overflowing almost everywhere buying groceries and such while some walked to spend some leisure time of their own... but for the meantime...

"Oi hey, Kakashi..!" A voice called out.

The said man, who was reading his Icha Icha Paradise copy, looked and waved his hand. "Yo!" He promptly greeted the pair. It was Mitarashi Anko who called him along with Yuuhi Kurenai. They were currently standing outside a dango shop and suddenly eyed the said Copy Nin.

"Where you off to?" Anko asked as she munched on the said food.

Kakashi looked at her then to Kurenai... then a thought struck to him. "Me? I'm going to Naruto's place for breakfast... you know me and besides I haven't visited him for quite awhile...---" Before Kakashi could continue Anko cut in.

"Can we come? And besides I haven't visited him for quite awhile too..." Anko said, finishing up her last stick of dango.

Kurenai was about to decline but suddenly Anko pulled her arm as they walked behind Kakashi. She didn't like the fact that she was being dragged by her best friend but most of all she didn't like the gut feeling she's feeling right know. She felt like a nervous-wreck as they went up to Naruto's apartment. She watched as Kakashi knocked on the door. Slowly, they heard a couple of foot steps and then suddenly the door opened, revealing a woman wearing a black night gown.

"Who are you?-!" Anko asked with such a volume.

"I should be the one asking you that question!" The woman retorted and glanced at the silver-haired ninja and said. "Stop staring at me..! You **PERVERT!**" The woman said as she held the Copy Nin by the collar and without a second or two, Kakashi was thrown to the wall which apparently made the other resident/s of the apartment stand up on their feet.

"What in the world is going on?-!" Naruto asked as he walked directly at the scene. Apparently, he was only clad in his boxers.

"Naruto, save me!" Kakashi cried.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"Can't you see?-! She's horrible... her strength... it's humongous!" Kakashi said.

"Aniki, what are you talking about?" Naruto asked.

"Save me from her!" Kakashi said as he pointed at the said woman with his index finger.

"Actually, I can't do that... you see even I am afraid of her... he-he-he..." Naruto said as he watched the woman namely, Ayeka, crack her knuckles which made both male nervous for their dear lives.

Ayeka looked at Naruto and said. "I'll go and get change while you better wait here or better yet entertain your guests, understood?"

"Hai" Naruto said with a not-so-enthusiastic tone.

Once Ayeka was gone, Naruto couldn't look directly at his guests due to his current attire.

"Say, Naruto... That woman was your former sensei, right? Did you and that woman slept together?" Anko asked forwardly.

"WHAT?! Of course not!" Naruto snapped back.

"Oh come on... how can you explain your clothes right now?" Anko said with a sly smirk on her face.

"Wha- that doesn't mean we did... what ever you just said!" Naruto said but after a couple of seconds he walked straight to his bedroom. Once he was in front of the door, Ayeka walked out and saw the look on Naruto's face.

"What happened to him?" Ayeka asked the remaining three back at the living room.

"Ask Anko she knows the answer." Kakashi said.

Ayeka didn't react on what Kakashi had said. She just continued her way to the living room and sat in front of the three Jounins. Anko was still watching every move that Ayeka did. Ayeka, on the other hand, was starting to get annoyed. So, she only did what she had on her mind.

"Mitarashi-san, could you please stop staring at me like that." Ayeka said in a calm voice.

But before Anko could retort back Naruto suddenly came. Everybody looked at his direction. He was wearing a light blue polo, beige khaki pants, and a pair of black ninja sandals.

"Is there something on my face?" he asked.

"No – no – no of course not…what made you ask that?" Anko said.

"Naruto, could you make breakfast for all of us?" Ayeka asked with a smile on her face. Once Naruto left the living room, the smile on Ayeka's face bore down. She looked at the three ninjas in front of her. "What are your reports after the incident at the lake?" she asked.

Kakashi knew what Ayeka was talking about but unfortunately the other two don't. "What incident?" asked Anko.

Ayeka's direction led to the tokubetsu jounin and said. "Yesterday…Uchiha Itachi along with his lackey, Hoshigaki Kisame came here to Konoha searching for Naruto. Thank goodness I came there just on time to help the ninjas who were confronting those two Nukenins."

'_She was there…but I didn't even get to see her.'_ Kurenai thought.

"Nobody would have thought that I was there because…I disguised myself as Naruto using henge. But, there's one thing that I can't forget…" said Ayeka. She looked amused and couldn't help to giggle in front of the three guests. Kurenai knew that she was the one Ayeka was talking about.

"So, what are you guys talking about? You all seem like having fun here… I hope you don't mind sharing it with me?" said Naruto. He just recently entered the living room and caught four of them having a decent conversation. "Oh before I forgot…breakfast is ready." he added.

"We…well we were talking about how slow you cook… you know, Naruto, you better improve your cooking skills if you want to impress the ladies." said Ayeka.

"Ah so now I cook so slow?-!" said Naruto. He looked at Ayeka with serious look on his face then after a couple of seconds, he stormed off and went to the dining area where he started to eat alone. Everybody saw him and just sat to join him.

"So Naruto, what happened to you last night?" Ayeka started.

"Whatever do you mean?" Naruto said without looking at his former sensei.

"It's just that you look like somebody ripped your heart away." Ayeka said.

#Cough# #Cough#

"Are you alright, Yuuhi-san?" Ayeka asked.

"I'm fine…" Kurenai replied back.

"Let's change the topic! Naruto, what this I'm hearing that you're going on a training trip with someone…is this true?" Anko asked.

"True to be exact…" said Naruto but to his surprise Anko immediately stood up from her seat. She grabbed Naruto by his collar and asked him.

"When are you leaving?-!"

"T-To-Today…after breakfast…" Naruto said in panic.

Miraculously, Anko let him go. Everybody looked at the Tokubetsu Jounin with caution. Kakashi and Kurenai were signaling each other if ever Anko tried to do something radical again. They both will have to stop the said Tokubetsu Jounin.

"What?-!" asked Anko. "I was merely asking the guy when he will be leaving…is that so wrong." said Anko which earned her a couple of sweat-drops from everybody.

Ayeka sighed and said. "Look at the time…Naruto, you better get ready…" Ayeka paused and looked at Kurenai. "Yuuhi-san, I hope you don't mind if you help me clean the dishes…" said Ayeka.

Kurenai looked at her first. She had a feeling that Ayeka will talk to her about something that, of course she doesn't know. "Okay" she said and soon she followed Ayeka to the kitchen to clean the dirty dishes. At first, they were both silent. Kurenai was thinking fast. She was a bit nervous around Ayeka and the worst of all she doesn't know why…

"Yuuhi-san, try not to be nervous. I won't hurt you…" said Ayeka.

Kurenai was dead shocked. _'Did she just read my mind?'_ thought Kurenai.

"If you were thinking that I just went through your head…no…I didn't read your mind…you simply looked tense that's all." said Ayeka. After a few seconds Ayeka waited for Kurenai to talk but she just continue to clean the dishes.

"Yuuhi-san?" Ayeka started again.

"Yes?" asked Kurenai.

"Can I ask you something… something personal?" said Ayeka.

At this point, Kurenai looked at the woman next to her and said. "What is it?" asked Kurenai.

"Do you like my nephew?" Ayeka asked forwardly.

Kurenai was taken aback. She didn't at least expect this kind of question from Ayeka. "Why made you ask that?" Kurenai asked.

"Hey…I asked you first!" Ayeka asked.

"Well… I…"

"You know I don't really care whether he chose someone older than him as a lover…but, to tell you the truth. I think it's my fault that he acts like a grown up already. Back when he was little, it wasn't just me who became his instructor. Naruto had a couple of instructors before not just me but a couple… let's say around 7 instructors, including me, and each of them came from different parts of the ninja world. And most importantly, they're my friends." Ayeka said.

"So what's the connection between him acting like a grown up and those instructors?" Kurenai asked.

"Oh that! Well, you see out of those 7 instructors there are only 3 men while the other 4 are you know women which includes me. Do you get the point?" Ayeka asked which earned her a nod from the genjutsus mistress.

"Hey you two… are you guys done cleaning the dishes? Naruto has been waiting for the both of you at the living room." Anko asked.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah… we'll be there in a second." Ayeka said. She looked at Kurenai and said. "Is she always like that?" Ayeka asked.

"24/7" Kurenai said.

"I HEARD THAT!" Anko shouted from the living room.

"What are you three been up to?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing-nothing…but you know? I really enjoyed talking with _your_ Jounin Sensei." Ayeka said as she dragged the young blonde to the door. "Come on let's go… you don't want to be late."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

On top of one of the highest buildings stood a lone man, currently he was enjoying the every minute of what he was doing.

"He-he-he…this view is one of the best that I have ever seen..!" The man said. He was giggling as he peeped at the ladies in the hot springs using his telescope, unfortunately…

"Is this what you do during your free time?" Somebody asked from behind.

The man looked behind and saw the former team-mates of the third hokage.

"It's called researching…anyway, what brings you two here?" The man asked.

"We'll cut to the chase…we want you to be the next Hokage, Jiraiya." Homura said.

"Why? Is it because Ayeka rejected your offer? Unfortunately, I can't. Besides, nobody wants a lazy old man like me to be a Hokage." Jiraiya said.

"Are you hearing what you're talking about?-!" Homura asked.

"Of course I do… besides, there's someone who can replace my and Ayeka's place…" Jiraiya said.

"And who would that be?" Koharu asked.

"That would be my former team-mate, Tsunade." Jiraiya said.

"This no time to tell jokes, Jiraiya! None of us know where her whereabouts is!" Homura said.

Jiraiya sighed and said. "You really don't have to worry about that… I'll find her besides she's so easy to find." Jiraiya said with a grin on his face.

"Fine…do it your way!" Homura said.

"We will set up a group of ANBU to escort you." Koharu said.

"You don't have to… I already have someone who will come to escort me with the search and like you said… _I have to do it my way_. Oh geez…look at the time I have to go and meet him. It won't be long Konoha will have a new Hokage! See ya…" With that said Jiraiya, vanished in a swirl of leaves and left the council.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Now where is that hermit?-! We've been waiting here for almost half an hour and yet he hasn't shown up! Where the hell is he?-!" Ayeka said. She has been walking everywhere asking no one in particular about Jiraiya's whereabouts.

"Sensei, calm down… he'll be here probably when it's already Christmas…he-he-he…" Naruto said with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys…what's up?-!" A familiar voice rang from the distance.

"What took you so long?" Ayeka asked.

"It's a long story, okay… sorry. Come on, Naruto…we have to go." Jiraiya said.

"Right!" Naruto said as he walked towards Jiraiya's side.

"Oh yeah before I forgot…aren't you going to say goodbye to them?" Jiraiya said.

Naruto looked at the people behind him and then slowly he walked first at Kakashi and said his goodbye, second was Anko then Ayeka and last was Kurenai. He hugged each and everyone of them but before that…

"That's all?-! Aren't you going to give your Jounin Sensei a goodbye kiss?-! Or even anything that's on your little mind… geez, Naruto you'll never get a girlfriend if you're like this." Ayeka said.

Naruto sighed loudly as he walked towards to his Jounin Sensei. "You know… I will thank you for this…" Naruto said to Ayeka. Slowly, he leaned close to Kurenai and then he kissed her on her right cheek but before he let her go… "I'm sorry about last night…" Naruto whispered.

Kurenai just kept still even after Naruto let her go. She didn't expect him to apologize after what had happened. It wasn't even his fault in the first place.And now, she just let him walk away just like the way she let him walk away on the night he told her that he love her.

"That's it… they're already gone…" Ayeka said. She slowly turned her heel and started to walk back along with Anko.

Kakashi sighed as he looked at his fellow Jounin. "Does it hurt that much? Why won't you just tell him how you feel?" Kakashi said.

Kurenai heard what had Kakashi said but the thing is it doesn't seem to register in her mind until…

"Hey, Naruto you're back early did you forget something?" Kakashi asked.

Immediately Kurenai was back to her senses but then there was something was missing…

Naruto wasn't there.

Kurenai only saw Kakashi looking at her. Her eyes bore down to the ground as she realized that it was only a prank.

"Do you think that was funny?" Kurenai asked. Unfortunately, Kakashi didn't get what Kurenai had said. "Do you think that was funny?-!" Kurenai shouted.

At this point, Kakashi heard the whole sentence. He didn't expect to see or even hear Kurenai yell at him like that. "K-Kurenai…it was only a joke. I was just trying to catch your attention… you were like staring at nothing." Kakashi said. But to his surprise, Kurenai stormed off, leaving Kakashi alone near the northern gate.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: **TBC…

**Next Chapter Feature/s: **Godaime arc.

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Dokushinsha  
by _eixirt_**

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**Chapter 11**

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**The Very Beginning…**

It has been almost three days since Naruto's departure along with the toad hermit. They managed to reach a small town where in a festival was being held at some point. Instead of being happy along with the celebration, Naruto didn't like the fact that they went in such a place, where in, Jiraiya can be irresponsible at some times.

"Geez, why does he have to order me to do such simple things?-!" Naruto complained. He was inside his and Jiraiya's hotel room. He was, again, practicing molding his charka as Jiraiya ordered him to do.

"AH!-! This is getting no where!" Naruto shouted as he slumped back on his bed. _"I wonder what's happening back at Konoha…"_ Naruto wondered as he stared at the ceiling. His so called sensei hasn't come back from his "researching". It only made Naruto unable to concentrate, and so, he decided to go outside for awhile. Even with or without the celebration, the small town was also known for its gambling places.

For the meantime, Naruto managed to find his way in one of the town's alleyway. There were, at some point, some female entertainers asked him to enter their bar. He only managed to get away when they noticed that he was quite young. As he did so, he was in front of a building, inside, they were numerous slot machines, poker tables, anything that has got to do with gambling.

Naruto decided to check out the place since there was no harm in doing so. He took off his hitai-ate and placed it inside his pocket. As he entered the place, he noticed a man laughing, probably, after winning a lot from his opponent, who was a woman. Naruto noticed that the man laughed even louder and said:

"Don't tell me you want another rematch?" Naruto heard from afar.

He noticed the smile on the woman's face and the grin on the man's face.

"I hope this time this will teach you to stop." The man said. He had a grin on his face. He slowly looked at the cards being given to him. Naruto could see how tense the man was while the woman had a stunned look on her face. But, Naruto couldn't read their faces. He already knew that the woman will definitely get her money back which she did.

"H-how…could this happen?-! You were losing awhile ago!" said the man.

The woman, however, turned her back and waited for her assistant to gather the money her Mistress had won. The woman herself was preoccupied by her sudden winnings. _**It wasn't something she was blessed with.**_

"Hey, get back here!" commanded the man. He wasn't pleased at what had happened which made Naruto infuriated, but, he kept his cool for awhile and decided to hear what was about to happen.

Both women, however, didn't stop from walking. They just stopped when there were several men surrounding their path.

"You should have followed me when you had the chance and now even your pretty assistant is going suffer as well." said the greedy man.

The woman was about to say something when suddenly both women were pulled upwards and then next thing they knew they were being dragged onto the busy streets of the said town. As they ran, the woman saw they were being chased by the similar men from before.

"They're right behind us…" she suddenly let out.

Naruto, the one who dragged both women from the building, made a quick turn along with him were the women he dragged away from harms way.

"That was close…" Naruto said.

"Yea, right…do you think you can actually escape me?-!" the man from before was standing behind the three. Behind the man were his men. "Now, why won't you come and give me back my money…" The man said.

This man was making Naruto lose his patience. _'What is it with this guy?'_ "Oi, Oyaji, just leave these two alone. The woman won the money, is it really that hard to handle?" Naruto said. He turned to both women and said: "I'll handle this, just wait for a sec." said Naruto with a reassuring smile on his face.

The smile itself made the woman remember something she had seen before.

Naruto stood in front the men. He didn't show any fighting stance or what so ever. He just suddenly vanished into thin air. The next thing everybody saw was the earth was shattered in different directions. But the most intriguing part was most of the men were lying at the ground, unconscious.

The greedy man, from before, saw the defeat of his men. He tried to calm himself but he couldn't. Naruto turned to him which made the greedy man stumble upon his feet.

"Go! Before, I do something stupid to you." Naruto ordered.

"You better listen to the kid!" someone shouted from above. Everyone looked where the voice came from, surprised to say, Naruto and the woman knew who the man was.

"Ero-Sennin!" "Jiraiya!" Both Naruto and the woman shouted.

Jiraiya jumped down from where he stood and looked at the woman who had said his name moments ago. "AH! Tsunade!" The Toad Sannin shouted, even the woman, Tsunade, was a bit of a shock when she saw her former team-mate.

"So... you two know each other." Naruto said.

"As disgusting as it is, yes, this _flat-chest_ here was once my team-mate, she's the one I've been talking to you about." Jiraiya said.

Once Tsunade heard the old nickname of hers, she unconsciously stored some charka on her right hand and immediately punched Jiraiya at the face. Naruto only watched the said woman as she beat the hell out of Jiraiya.

"Let me guess, they're like that back when they were still genins…" Naruto said as he turned to the other woman, who was carrying a pig and a brief case. She only nodded at the said blonde.

Meanwhile…

"Naruto..! Help me!" Jiraiya begged. Naruto sighed as he walked to the helpless man. Jiraiya had a lot of bruises on his face, but he'll live.

"That will teach you!" Tsunade shot back. She saw the blonde teenager sat across her former team-mate and placed his hands right front of Jiraiya's face, and the next thing Tsunade saw was a green glow forming at Naruto's palms. After several seconds, Jiraiya's face was back to normal.

"Honestly, Ero-Sennin, hadn't you had enough?" Naruto asked as he sighed when Jiraiya only gave him a grin. "What?-!" Naruto asked.

"Since when did you become a medical ninja?" Jiraiya asked. He had a grin on his face which made Naruto give the Toad Sannin an annoyed look, and soon, he left.

Naruto walked back to the main streets of the said town. Unknown to him three ninjas were following him namely, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune, Tsunade's assistant.

"I would never think that there would be a chance that you're following me. This must be my lucky day." Jiraiya said with a smirk on his face.

Tsunade gave her a disgusted look and said: "Why would I follow you?-! I'm just interested in your student. Tell me, what's his name?" Tsunade asked as they continue to follow the said genin.

'_How come it's always Naruto that the ladies want…sheesh…?'_ Jiraiya sighed. But before he could say Naruto's name, the said genin was no where in sight. "Where did he go?" Jiraiya asked.

Both females noticed as well. But before they could search for Naruto, they heard an audible sigh from behind and then suddenly a familiar voice said: "You guys should really concentrate on what you're doing." The voice said. By the time they turned around, they saw the owner of the voice and it was Naruto.

"How did you?" Jiraiya asked. His face was so incredulous at the recent event even Tsunade and Shizune couldn't believe it either.

"How did I what?" Naruto asked. He had a smile on his face which made Jiraiya even more curious.

"You know what I'm talking about, Naruto!" Jiraiya replied. "And, don't give me that smile! This isn't funny!" Jiraiya added.

"You know, let's just go and eat dinner." Naruto said.

The group was about to go inside a restaurant when all of a sudden the greedy man from before came again and this time he brought several ninjas with him.

"Who's he? Fan of yours?" Jiraiya teased as he turned to his former team-mate. Tsunade didn't give any reply. She just glared at Jiraiya, who was walking closely to Naruto.

"Naruto, I want you to watch this closely…" said the Toad Sannin, and so, Naruto did. The said genin watch his mentor stretched out his right palm. Then, suddenly, there were small gust of wind as a sphere of chakra formed on Jiraiya's palm. It was like a ball of chakra as though Naruto thought.

The next thing Naruto saw was Jiraiya placing the said ball of chakra on one ninja which made him levitate in a circular manner, and soon, the ninja was thrown back by the powerful force made by the Jiraiya's technique.

'_Amazing…'_ said Naruto in his mind. Jiraiya saw the stunned look on Naruto's face; he only smirked at the teenager's reaction.

"T-that technique…it c-can't be…" said the man. "Y-you can have the money…h-here you can take my wallet as well." Added the man, yet again, he ran for his life. But there was something missing…he couldn't move.

"You forgot to do something…" Naruto said.

"Eh?" The man said.

"You forgot to apologize to her." Naruto said as he point out to Tsunade.

The said man immediately kneeled in front of Tsunade and apologized he even ordered his men to do the same. Once they were done, they immediately ran away from them. Naruto had the urge to laugh. He found it hard not to after seeing the same man in panic, it was hilarious! After that, it was settled, they're going to have dinner. They didn't take long to find a restaurant for them to eat in, since; they just decided to go to the hotel's restaurant. As they enter, they noticed that the place was fairly furnished but it was okay since they were staying for several days only.

Tsunade was about to drink her eighth cup but Shizune was trying to stop her Master. Shizune's pleading only fell to deaf ears as Tsunade continue to drink her tenth cup. There were visible signs that the alcohol was taking its effect like her pink cheeks almost burning from the heat that the sake was giving her.

"Let her be, Shizune-neechan. She won't listen to you anyway." Naruto said. Unfortunately, in Tsunade's comprehension at the moment was a bit blurry. From her point of view, she thought that Naruto was saying something bad to her.

"Oi! What is it with you if I drink?-!" Tsunade said.

Naruto was starting to get annoyed at the blonde woman and so as Tsunade. They both glared at each other, until, they heard someone laugh at them and it was Jiraiya.

"What's so funny?-!" Tsunade asked as she glared at her former team-mate.

Jiraiya stopped from laughing when he saw Tsunade's serious face. "Nothing… hehehe…" said Jiraiya. He was calming his face. As a result, he looked at Tsunade with seriousness in his eyes. "I'll cut to the chase, Tsunade…Konoha sent us to find you in order for you to become Konoha's Fifth Hokage." Jiraiya said.

Both Naruto and Shizune looked at the white haired sannin with a visible stunned look on their faces. "WHAT?-!" Naruto yelled, almost exaggerating with his reaction.

"No" Tsunade said.

Everyone looked at Tsunade whose face was lowered from everyone. "Huh?" asked Jiraiya since he didn't catch what Tsunade had said awhile ago.

"I said NO! Besides, why should I want to become one when you'll just end up dying…I don't want to become a Hokage because IT'S STUPID!" Tsunade said.

"YOU TAKE THAT BACK! I 'D RATHER HIT YOU ON THE FACE AND I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE A WOMAN OR NOT!" Naruto yelled as he banged the table with both of his hands. He didn't care who was in front of him. He didn't like to hear anyone say something bad about the title whether it was a woman or a man they'll definitely get a piece of Naruto's mind.

"You look a little cranky…wanna take this outside?" Tsunade said. She led the teenager in front of the hotel. It was night so only a few bystanders were just walking. "Oi, Gaki!" Tsunade shouted. Her voice was rather rusty due to the alcohol she had consumed. "Tell me, why are you so adamant about the title?" Tsunade asked. In front of her was Naruto. They were only a few meters away from each other.

Naruto looked at her with pure determination and perseverance. "…It's because…I'M GOING TO BE A HOKAGE!" Naruto replied.

Tsunade remembered the same determination Naruto had it was the same with her brother, Nawaki, and at the same time, with her deceased lover, Dan. Tsunade smiled at Naruto's reply. She stretched out her arm in front of Naruto, then, she motioned her forefinger at the teenager, and said: "I'll just use one finger… if you manage to land a hit I might even change my mind…" Tsunade said.

"**Kit, be careful. She's not any ordinary woman, remember, she's one of the Legendary Three."**Kyuubi said inside his cell.

"_**I already know that…I'll just try my luck."**_ Naruto said. With that said he charged at Tsunade.

Jiraiya couldn't watch as he saw how Naruto was going against his former team-mate. _'Charging at her in close combat is something you shouldn't do, Naruto. Wait! What the?-!'_ Jiraiya paused when suddenly Naruto vanished in mid-air, then, reappear behind Tsunade. He was about to hit her when all of a sudden he vanished again. He saw Tsunade turn as she was to anticipate the blow from behind, but then, Naruto reappeared at Tsunade's side, kicking her with all he got. His leg did land on something but it wasn't Tsunade's side. It was Tsunade's hand. Naruto tried to get loose by kicking her with his other foot which was only blocked by Tsunade's other arm. The next thing he knew, he was thrown forward away from Tsunade.

'_Darn it! All she did was to block my attacks. I need to do something…Wait a sec! That's it! Ero-Sennin's technique.'_

"**Oi, Kit, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, right?"** Kyuubi asked.

"_**I have to do it…"**_

"**I thought so…wait! You don't even know how to do it!"** Kyuubi said. But it only fell to deaf ears.

"Oi, give up already…" Tsunade said.

"…No…" Naruto replied.

"Huh?"

"I said NO! I'm not gonna give up! Because…this…THIS IS MY WAY OF BEING A NINJA!" Naruto said.

"Very well…" Tsunade said as she waited for Naruto's attack.

Naruto, on the other hand, formed a hand seal and said: "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Soon, there were two Naruto. The first Naruto attacked Tsunade which was only a clone. The clone disappeared in a puff of smoke which gave the original Naruto a little advantage.

'_He's hiding behind the smoke eh…let's see what he has under his sleeve.'_

Right when the smoke disappeared, the original was about to charge at Tsunade with a technique she was very well aware of, when all of a sudden, Naruto noticed that the ball of chakra was slowly dissipating. Naruto was almost in front of Tsunade. When this was happening, he just charged at her faster before the ball completely dissipated. Everyone even Tsunade noticed it as well. Tsunade only did was to caught Naruto's wrist and she used her forefinger to flick Naruto's forehead. The damage tripled because of the unknown technique had just done.

"Wow…you haven't lost your touch, Tsunade." Jiraiya said as he looked at the semi-unconscious Naruto.

"Hmph…did you teach that kid that technique?" Tsunade asked.

"No, actually he just saw that technique from me and I didn't realize he can imitate it that fast." Jiraiya said as he looked at Naruto, who was being taken care of by Shizune.

'_Just an imitation, but still, he managed to make such damage…'_ Tsunade thought as she watched the said genin.

Naruto woke up with a headache. He couldn't believe at Tsunade's strength with a flick of her finger she managed to send him flying. What more if she wasn't holding back? She could have easily killed him.

"So, how do you feel?" Tsunade asked.

"…" Naruto didn't give any answer. He didn't even look at the said woman.

"Come on… don't feel bad about it… how about a deal? If you managed to master the _Rasengan_ I'll go back with you and Jiraiya back to Konoha to become the next Hokage and aside from that…" she paused as she pointed at her necklace. "…I'm going to give you this necklace of mine." Tsunade said.

"And if I don't succeed?" Naruto asked.

"Then, I'm afraid that Konoha won't be having a new Hokage." Tsunade said. She saw, once again, the determination Naruto had awhile ago. He didn't have to tell her that he was up to the challenge.

"You don't have to bet that necklace of yours…you can keep it if you want." Naruto said. Pointing at the necklace, he grinned, not even knowing what he was talking about.

"Naruto, did you know that, that necklace can almost buy you two mountains. Since, there are only two of those crystals left in the world." Jiraiya said. He could almost see the gears running inside Naruto's head. _'What a guy…'_ Jiraiya said in his mind.

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Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Dokushinsha  
by **_**eixirt**_

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**Chapter 12**

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**A Sudden Decision…**

It has been four days since Naruto accepted the challenge. He hadn't got any improvement ever since Jiraiya started to teach him the basics. It started with the popping of the water balloons, then, popping a hard covered ball, until, he started to do the actual thing. The first two lessons were somewhat easy to him since he has a great control of his chakra thanks to his hijutsu (sp?). But when it comes to the last lesson, Naruto found it difficult.

Meanwhile, Shizune was walking behind Tsunade, as usual. Troubled and uneasy, she didn't even heard Tsunade's calling who was now looking at her assistant.

"Oi, Shizune…Mou, daijobu desu ka?" Tsunade asked as she looked at the black head.

"…" Shizune didn't answer her Master. She kept staring away from Tsunade as if she didn't hear her question. Even Ton-ton, the pig, looked at Shizune.

From a far they heard a familiar voice. They both walked to where that familiar voice was coming from. Several feet away they saw Naruto panting from his feet. He had numerous bruises all over his arms and face. And on top of that, his clothes were dirty probably from constantly falling on the ground. Minutes passed by, Jiraiya came. He was probably telling Naruto why his attempts on doing the said technique failed.

'_He's really trying his best to learn that technique…'_ Tsunade thought as she watched Naruto from a far. She turned and looked at Shizune who was watching Naruto train as well. Tsunade grinned at what she saw since this was the first time she was able to see her apprentice like that. "Shizune, you're staring too much. Naruto-kun might see you." Tsunade laughed and continued to walk on her path.

"Huh? What was that suppose to mean, Tsunade-sama?-!" Shizune asked as she continued to follow her Master.

They continued to walk side by side. Still, Shizune hadn't or even willing to speak as of the moment.

'_She's probably embarrassed that she got swooned by someone like Naruto-kun.'_ Tsunade thought to herself with a smile.

'**Aren't you any different, Tsu-chan?'** The much awaited appearance of Tsunade Senjuu's inner self. And to think, Tsunade never thought she had one.

'_What? Where did that come from?' _Tsunade asked. It may seem odd to see one of the Legendary Sannin talk to herself. Tsunade had to fight with her Inner-self, but to no avail, Shizune was starting to worry for her.

"Tsunade-sama, are you feeling alright?" Shizune asked. Moments ago, Shizune was watching her Master shook her head several times and to add to that Tsunade had an enormous blush on her face. _'What's gotten into her?' _Shizune wondered.

"I-I'm definitely fine!" Tsunade replied, more like, shouted in response. Deep inside Tsunade's Inner-self was celebrating due to her victory against Tsunade's stubbornness. _'This is ridiculous!'_ Tsunade said to herself. She just stopped arguing with herself when she noticed that they were being followed.

Tsunade immediately noticed two chakra signatures following them. At first, Tsunade thought it was Jiraiya and Naruto. But, Tsunade immediately knew who owned the first chakra she sensed moments ago.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune called. Still, she hasn't noticed the upcoming danger. She just saw Tsunade punched the wall they were next in. The punch itself made the wall crumble into pieces. Shizune didn't know what her Master was thinking as of the moment she just looked at her Master then to the destroyed wall but she never thought she would see her Master's former team-mate, Snake Sannin, Orochimaru; along with another unknown shinobi.

"Nice to see you again, Tsunade." Orochimaru said with a smirk on his face.

"Orochimaru, what are you doing here? And more importantly, what do you want from me?" Tsunade asked.

"Sharp as always…" Orochimaru grinned after saying this. "I'll be direct; I want you to heal me. That _old_ student of ours did something in my brain that made me unable to cast even a simple jutsu." At this point, Orochimaru's grin turned into a serious scowl.

"And what made you so sure that I will help you?" Tsunade asked.

"Hmm… you have a point… how about a deal? If you heal me, I, in turn, will use one of my kinjutsus to revive your little brother. In addition, I will revive your former lover." Orochimaru grinned even bigger than before.

"Tsunade-sama, don't listen to them!" Shizune interjected.

Tsunade, on the other hand, was starting to have an inner battle within herself. It would be nice to see your beloved once again.

"Those two's faces, from just remembering them…" Tears started to roll down Tsunade's fluffy cheeks. She sobbed and cried; there was no stopping her. "I loved them… I wanted to see and hug them! But..!" There was another pause but this time Tsunade smiled. "Because of that brat… I now remember those two's dreams I had tried to forget…" She wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

"So the deal is off… No choice then… I guess we'll have to force you to do it." Orochimaru said.

Just when the remaining tears from Tsunade's eyes were gone, she sent an evil glare at Orochimaru and his lackey. This time there was a killer intent in it. She stopped glaring at them when she attacked both men, making the ground crumble in an enormous radius. That was probably one of the reasons why Tsunade was one of the legendary Sannin. She was known for her superhuman strength. Judging from the crater below, Tsunade's kick was charged with her chakra.

"COME…! OROCHIMARU…!-!" Tsunade shouted.

"Ha-ha-ha… Now that I think about it, I realized that I never fought against you…" Orochimaru said.

"I wonder, how could you even say that when it's me whose fighting her now?" Kabuto said.

Both men looked at the approaching woman, with her chakra-charged fist Tsunade advanced on Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"YOU BASTARDS, I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU HERE NOW!"

Tsunade was about to land a hit but Orochimaru, along with Kabuto, jumped away.

'_I WON'T LET YOU ESCAPE!'_ cursed Tsunade with a gritted teeth. She just immediately jumped to the course where Orochimaru and Kabuto went.

Shizune, who was watching all along, had never seen her Master act like that. She knew who that snake-faced man was and she knew that he was trouble. Only someone like him can harm Tsunade, that, Shizune was aware of.

'_I've got to tell this to Jiraiya-sama!'_ With those words in mind, Shizune sprinted away to where Jiraiya and Naruto were.

Several minutes later…

"Wh-what's this?-!" asked Naruto.

Currently, they, namely; Jiraiya, Naruto, Shizune, and Ton-ton, were standing where Tsunade and Shizune had met Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"Whoa… Tsunade-hime has gone pretty wild!" smiled Jiraiya.

"This is NOT the time for that, Ero-Sennin!" said Naruto.

"Relax… I'm sure she's still alive…" Jiraiya turned to Shizune and said. "Can that pig of hers find Tsunade's scent?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yes." replied Shizune. "Ton-ton, which way did she go?-!" asked Shizune.

"Buu!" cooed Ton-ton.

After sniffing her Master's garments, Ton-ton ran to a certain direction. Soon, everybody's attention grew wider when they felt a certain chakra-signature that was way beyond of a jounin level.

'_Orochimaru…'_

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**All Out Battle! **_**The Legendary Three!!!**_

Several meters away, stood Tsunade while in front of her were Orochimaru and Kabuto. She has been observing both ninjas, but to no avail, only Kabuto moved. The said medic-nin slipped through his waist-bag and pulled out a small pill.

'_Hyourougan?' _thought Tsunade as she watched the young man chew up the soldier pill.

After chewing the drug, Kabuto formed a set of hand-seals which made both of his hands glow in bright blue.

'_I see… so, this boy also knows medical ninja techniques…'_ Tsunade watched on, this time, Kabuto 'poofed' away but only to reappear below Tsunade.

Tsunade was peeved enough with that surprise attack, and yet, Kabuto tried to close the gap once again. He was able to land a hit on Tsunade using his 'chakra scalpel'. Tsunade couldn't believe at the attack. It only made her cough severely as if her air-passage was damaged from the previous attack.

Kabuto just grinned at the coughing woman. He definitely thought that he had attained victory, but, he thought wrong.

A few feet away, Tsunade disappeared in a blur. The next thing Kabuto knew, he landed with a thud. But something was off… his body was not responding to the way he wanted it to be.

'_Hm… So Tsunade disrupted the flow of electricity in the nervous system that flows 360 kph… I see, so this is the power of one of the legendary three…' _a sudden realization passed through Kabuto. Surely enough, if he's going to fight against a Sannin he needed to do that _thing_ in order to survive this fight.

"You're afraid of blood, right? I'll scatter just enough blood until you're at the brink of death!" Kabuto, who was carrying a kunai, charged at Tsunade. But in a 'poof', Kabuto stopped.

Right in the middle of the upcoming battle, three ninjas stood.

"Yo, everyone!" greeted Jiraiya with one of his carefree antics. "I see that face of yours hasn't changed, Orochimaru…" added Jiraiya.

"Long time no see to you too, Jiraiya." said Orochimaru.

At this point on, Orochimaru plastered a serious look on his face. Before him were two of his former team-mates, not to mention, that pestering brat back from the Chuunin exams. That brat was also a BIG problem since he held a mysterious power that only came from his lineage; the same lineage where all of his problems came from.

"MOVE" shouted Tsunade. She ran pass through Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shizune. She was going to attack Kabuto, but, Kabuto was able to slash apart his skin, drawing enough blood to shower on Tsunade's body.

'_BLOOD…!-!'_ echoed inside Tsunade's mind.

"Ha-ha-ha… my body has finally started to move." said Kabuto.

Still, Tsunade was trembling in fear. Kabuto only took this as an initiative; he punched Tsunade right on the face. It was powerful enough to send the Sannin flying back. Fortunately, Shizune was able to catch her.

"Tsunade-sama…" mustered Shizune; she was wiping the stains of blood off Tsunade's face. In truth, this was the first time she had seen her Master like this. "…Please don't overdo it…" it was more like a whisper.

"Shizune, take care of that guy with the glasses… I'll be fighting head-on against Orochimaru." said Jiraiya in a serious tone.

"What about me?-!" asked Naruto.

"You protect Tsunade and her pig." said Jiraiya.

"What?-! But, I want to fight too!" replied Naruto.

"No! That guy with the glasses may not look like it but he's at the same level as Kakashi." said Jiraiya.

Kabuto, on the other hand, found his way next to his Master. Though, the next series of events made Jiraiya a little irked. The said medic-nin was forming a set of familiar hand-seals. Jiraiya already knew what that boy was trying to do.

"Kabuto, I'll handle Jiraiya… you take care of the others." ordered Orochimaru.

Kabuto only nodded in response. He jumped a few feet away from Naruto, Shizune, and the still trembling Tsunade.

Shizune initiated an attack when she blasted several needles towards Kabuto, who in turn, dodged with ease. In a fast blur, Kabuto was able to hit Shizune with his 'chakra scalpel'. Just when Shizune was about to fly back from the sudden contact, she was able to cast a jutsu.

"Ninpou: Doku Kiri!" Shizune blew out a poisonous mist from her mouth. Though, the jutsu was dangerous enough, Shizune was not able to handicap her opponent.

"Where is he?-!" she frantically looked around. It was then something or someone grabbed her below. It was Kabuto.

Just when Shizune was pulled enough, Kabuto gave her a punch in the gut. He stared at the unconscious body, surely enough, she was out of the picture. Kabuto turned to Tsunade. The said blonde woman was still trembling and unfocused after suffering from the attack Kabuto gave moments ago.

"Hm…" grinned Kabuto.

"One more step, then, I'll kill you!" shouted Naruto.

"Pretty daring I say…" Kabuto took another step forward. On his next step, he disappeared in a blur.

Naruto couldn't keep up with Kabuto's movements. It was something new to him. "Darn it!" cursed Naruto. Kabuto was still playing around Naruto, sending him several punches all over his body.

Kabuto only stopped when he was about to give Naruto the final blow. His fist was ready to land on Naruto's face but, seemingly, Kabuto couldn't move an inch, he was shocked.

Even Tsunade was shocked at what she saw. Right in front of her was Naruto, whose dark wings caught Kabuto securely.

"This will stop you…" said Naruto. He formed a familiar hand-seal, and soon, there was a bushin next to Naruto. The original Naruto had his right hand outstretched towards the clone Naruto, who in turn, molded a sphere-shaped chakra.

'_I-impossible… that technique!'_ Kabuto only stuttered when the-said-'great'-technique landed on his gut. There was no escape for him since Naruto's wings were grasping onto his body. Kabuto managed to free himself away from Naruto due to the force displayed by the newly acquired technique.

After that attack, Naruto breathed heavily, until, he felt his body doubled its weight. It was impossible for him to stand up now. From his last ditch of consciousness, he felt like he was about to throw up, and so, he did. In every cough that he did, he couldn't help but to throw up more and more blood.

"Naruto…!" shouted Tsunade. The scene gave her immediate reaction, she wasn't trembling anymore. Even with Naruto's blood, Tsunade no longer feared the red stain on her hands. She turned to Kabuto, who was in the process of standing up.

"You sustained a direct hit from that jutsu and you still…" Tsunade couldn't believe it either. Kabuto was still standing in front of them.

"I gathered all my chakra to my guts right before I was hit and started to heal myself…" Kabuto grinned at the reaction being given to him until…

"UGH…" Kabuto coughed, landed flat on the ground, he couldn't believe that jutsu inflicted damage beyond his regenerative ability. _'How?-!'_

That was less to Tsunade's worries, for now she was more worried with Naruto.

"Damn it! That boy must have…"

"He-he… you can't save Naruto. I cut the chakra route to his heart that he uses to summon the Kyuubi's power. It seals his chance of healing himself."

"SHUT UP! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU AFTERWARDS…" shouted Tsunade.

'_Damn it, don't die…' _She was starting to see another familiar image of her deceased brother and her deceased lover as she continued to heal Naruto. Still, there was no sign of life coming from the other blonde.

"**God damn it! Don't die on me!" **cried Tsunade. She wept as she continued to heal the young lad. Tsunade kept on crying until she felt a hand rested on her wet cheek, brushing some of her tears in the process.

"I won… the bet…" said Naruto. He brushed again the left-over tears on Tsunade's cheek and said. "…Don't cry, I promise I won't die…" added Naruto, this time he gave Tsunade a reassuring smile.

Meanwhile…

"That kid is not good…" said Orochimaru.

"Tsunade is the finest medical specialist around… there is no need to worry about Naruto… besides, I'm your opponent. Don't look to the side now…" said Jiraiya.

"No, that's not what I meant! I never thought that kid had such _potential_. If Akatsuki gets their hands on him it will be trouble… I MUST KILL HIM..!" With those words said, Orochimaru raced towards Naruto, who was still lying on the ground, Jiraiya only followed in pursuit. Orochimaru noticed this; he immediately retracted the Kusanagi from his mouth. In a swift movement, Orochimaru managed to send Jiraiya away with his sword. The fall itself made the Toad Sannin lying unconsciously on a bed of crumbled debris. After he took care of his opponent, Orochimaru advanced on the weakened boy.

Luckily, Tsunade noticed the upcoming attack…

Time seized the moment Naruto saw a sword passed through Tsunade's chest. _'Why?'_ he asked.

"Tsunade, don't get in my way…" said Orochimaru with his sword, the Kusanagi, extended from his mouth.

"No… I'm going to protect him no matter what…" said Tsunade between coughs.

"Why then?" asked Orochimaru as he retracted back the Kusanagi inside his body.

"…To protect the hidden leaf…" said Tsunade as she looked back on Naruto; he too was looking at Tsunade but with a questioning look on his face. Tsunade shifted her position and faced Orochimaru once again behind her she could hear Naruto begging for her to stop.

"To protect the hidden leaf?" repeated Orochimaru with a disappointed look on his face. "…Feh.., if you're going to throw away your life like that, then, DIE like the worthless trash you're protecting!" shouted Orochimaru.

Once again, Orochimaru brought forth the Kusanagi. Jiraiya and Shizune, who managed to recover from their unconsciousness, saw the upcoming attack on Tsunade. With their current state, they couldn't even move or even defend Tsunade from Orochimaru.

"What the?-!"

Orochimaru stepped several steps back. He, or even Tsunade, didn't expect this to happen. In front of the Snake-Sannin was a heavily guarded Tsunade. The said blonde woman was enveloped with a dark beam of light that seemed to take the shape of a pair of wings.

"Naruto..?" called Tsunade. She was, once again, worried at the young man in front of her. All she could hear was Naruto's ragged breathing.

"Naruto…" she called again.

"Sorry to worry you like that… Ugh, it took me long enough to heal some of my wounds…" said Naruto, weakly.

Tsunade watched as Naruto released her. Still, he had that reassuring smile on plastered on his face but when he turned to look at Orochimaru… Naruto glared at the said Sannin.

"I see.., you can also use that thing on your back as a shield… it would be too risky for me to face one of your kind once again. For now, I bid all of you farewell, 'till next time." said Orochimaru. After saying those words, he disappeared in a 'poof' while his accomplice, Kabuto, disappeared as well.

'… "…_It would be too risky for me to face one of your kind once gain…" What did he mean by that?'_ wondered Naruto. His attention suddenly flew towards Tsunade, who was coughing severely from the injuries she attained moments ago.

"Tsunade!" "Tsunade-sama!" both Jiraiya and Shizune shouted as they ran immediately in front of the Slug Sannin.

"Tsunade-sama, please lie down and let me heal your wounds…" said Shizune.

Tsunade followed what she was instructed. She only closed her eyes as she lay on the cold ground. Everybody was quiet as they watched Tsunade being healed by Shizune. While she shut her eyes, the only sound she could hear of was the sound coming from the healing jutsu. It may seem that the wounds hadn't healed up to a certain point. There was definitely a small progress; Shizune knew that.

'_Why won't you heal up?'_ cursed Shizune.

Obviously, she was aggravated at the slow results. But, what could she do, after all, she was running low in chakra. Shizune tried to continue on, but then, she paused momentarily when she noticed a pair of bruised hands helping her heal the other woman. Shizune looked at the owner of those hands; it was Naruto.

"I'm not a medic, but at least, let me help." he said.

Shizune nodded and continued to work on Tsunade's wounds. There was a great difference when Naruto decided to help and Shizune noticed this. The rate of recovery increased in an abnormal speed. Aside from that, all of Tsunade's wounds seemed to heal in a same rate of speed. Although, Naruto and Shizune were only focusing at certain part of Tsunade's body. To top it all, the glow from Naruto's hands were not the usual color green. It was yellow not green, even Jiraiya noticed this as well. The only one who doesn't seem to bother was Naruto. Jiraiya thought he should stop Naruto but he decided not to since he knew that, that chakra was not of the Kyuubi's.

"That should do it…" said Shizune. She breathed heavily as she watched her Master's sleeping figure.

"Thank goodness…" sighed Naruto. After several seconds, he felt the after-effects of the said 'unknown healing jutsu'.

"ACK!"

Naruto held his hands onto his chest. He was like a curved ball, trembling in pain. Even his wings dissipated when he felt the sudden rush of the after-effects.

"What's happening to him?" asked Jiraiya.

"I don't know…" said Shizune. She was trying to calm Naruto but the young lad was still trembling. Shizune tried once again, this time, with the use of her healing jutsu. In a mere second, Naruto stopped trembling as he lay on the ground unconscious.

"Let's head back to the hotel, so that, these two can relax." said Jiraiya. He walked next to Naruto's unconscious body and carried it in a piggy-back way while Shizune carried her Master with support of her shoulder.

Hours later…

Our favorite group was currently sitting at the hotel's restaurant. Both Naruto and Tsunade were already awake and fine at that time.

"So, she's going to be the fifth hokage starting today huh?" said Naruto. There was a hint of irritation in Naruto's voice.

"Why are you irritated at, Naruto?" asked Jiraiya.

"If you compare her with Sandaime-jiji, she's rough, selfish, loose with money, easily pissed off, and stupid…" said Naruto; much to his sarcasm, he received a glare from Tsunade. But Naruto didn't stop.

"Are you sure she can do it?" asked Naruto.

"Ah… let's go order something, Tsunade-sama…" said Shizune. She was getting nervous at her Master when she saw a vein twitched on Tsunade's forehead.

"…Besides, isn't she a 50-year old hag? She's faking her youth… someone like the hokage shouldn't deceive people like that…" added Naruto.

That was the end of the line for Tsunade. She totally lost her patience for the other blonde. In truth, she didn't want to hear those embarrassing comments since most of it was true.

"Let's take this outside, brat!" shouted Tsunade.

'_There they go again…'_ sighed Jiraiya and Shizune; even Ton-ton 'buu-ed' at both blondes.

Outside the hotel…

"Hmph, Now that I'm Hokage, no matter what you say I don't need to be serious with a brat like you…" she paused, then, lifted her fore-finger. "…This is all I need…" declared Tsunade.

"**Kit, déjà vu much? You need to focus more unlike the last time…"** said the demonic fox.

"_**I know that already…"**_ said Naruto. Currently, he was glaring at the said Sannin. He cut off the mental link between him and the Kyuubi and decided to attack Tsunade. Like before, Tsunade waited and dodged at the upcoming attack. With her fore-finger, Tsunade was able to detach Naruto's forehead-protector.

'_Shit! That finger again!'_ cursed Naruto. He waited for the upcoming attack. But instead of an attack he felt something else on his forehead.

"Eh…?" (Naruto)

"What the?-!" (Jiraiya & Shizune)

"Buu?-!" (Ton-ton)

Tsunade smiled after she kissed the Naruto on the forehead. Her smile grew even bigger when she noticed the flustered look on Naruto's face. She only stopped when she reached for her necklace.

'_This time for sure, I won't let go of that dream…'_

Tsunade carefully placed her necklace on Naruto. Once again with a smile, she hugged Naruto which surprised not only Naruto but everyone else.

'_Darn, lucky bastard!' _cursed the Toad Sannin.

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**Disclaimer:**

Naruto is not mine.

**A/N:**

Another chapter done! Though, some of the fight scenes were obviously short… I'm really sorry for that. It's not that I don't favor Orochimaru that much. It's just that I'm not really good with fight scenes. Next time, I will try to improve especially my writing skills. English is a foreign language for me so thank you for understanding…

On this chapter, were still on the Godaime Arc/Tsunade Retrieval Arc. The next chapter will eventually be the last part of the arc. I decided to cut this into three parts to cause less trouble for me hahaha… If you add all three, it should sum up to 10,000 words, more or less.

See you in the next chapter: Naruto's Hot-spring Adventure… _Beware!_

Signed by,

eixirt

PS: I hope you like it and please don't forget to review…


	13. Chapter 13

**The Dokushinsha  
by eixirt**

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**Chapter 13**

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**Naruto's Hotspring Adventure… **_**Beware!**_

Two days had passed after the arrangements between Naruto and Tsunade had ended. Still, they haven't travelled back to Konoha which made Naruto wonder and even a little irritated. It was Jiraiya who suggested that they should rest and relax while they're still at the said town he and Naruto found Tsunade with her accomplices. Not to mention, it was also Jiraiya that suggested that they rest in a hotel with a mixed onsen. At first, Naruto thought that Tsunade wouldn't agree, but then again, he thought wrong. Miraculously, Tsunade agreed much to Jiraiya's delight. While Naruto, Shizune, and Ton-ton; couldn't protest.

During those two days of rest, Jiraiya was starting to get irritated. He thought that during his stay, he would be able to bathe with several women in the onsen, poor Jiraiya. He just prayed that on the third and last day of their rest would be different from the past two days. And so, Jiraiya woke up in an early start.

'_Today will be my lucky day… he-he…'_ said Jiraiya to himself.

Although they were staying in a room that's good for three to four people, Jiraiya couldn't help but to notice that the room looked big. It was as if there were only two people occupying the said room.

"WHAT THE HECK?-!" shouted Jiraiya to the three other occupants of the room.

Apparently, only Ton-ton woke up from the sudden outburst. When the said pet pig saw the look on Jiraiya's face, she just shrugged it off and continued to sleep once again.

Jiraiya didn't know what to do at what he was witnessing at the moment. He couldn't even move for a couple of minutes because of the sudden shock. This was even more shocking than what Jiraiya saw when he visited Naruto from the hospital weeks ago.

'_Calm down, Jiraiya… you can handle this… you should be happy, or even inspired, after seeing this.'_ said Jiraiya in his mind. He looked at the sleeping figures once again. This time, Jiraiya shouted in his mind.

'_GOD DAMN LUCKY BASTARD..! I SHOULD STRANGLE HIM FOR THIS!'_

Jiraiya couldn't take it anymore. He was going to scream once again. He didn't even care whether Tsunade would whack him to the oblivion at what he was about to do. He didn't care at all. He really felt that he should scream loud enough for these three to wake up. After all, deep inside his perverted mind, he couldn't forgive Naruto for being such a _lucky bastard._

The said lucky bastard was still sleeping. Unknown to him, there was someone ready enough to strangle him. Though, he doesn't know a single thing about it, he just continued to sleep. Slowly, he shifted his position to the right. As he moved, he didn't notice his hand landed on something soft, round, and warm. Obviously, this didn't go unnoticed by Jiraiya.

"ACK!-?" was the only sound Jiraiya could produce after witnessing something shocking in his opinion.

From that point on, Jiraiya could swear he heard Tsunade moan in her sleep after that touch.

'_I should really wake these three…'_ said Jiraiya to himself.

Another couple of minutes passed by and Tsunade was starting to feel something warm placed over her half-exposed breasts. She even made some audible moaning at the touch. It was loud enough to wake the other two sleeping figures in the room.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes after hearing something he couldn't comprehend. He hadn't noticed the stare being given to him by Tsunade and Jiraiya since he was still sleepy. Just then, after blinking several times, he noticed that he was sleeping next to Tsunade and on top of that she was smiling at him.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun…" greeted Tsunade with a smile.

"Good morning…" replied Naruto in a sleepy voice.

At that moment, Naruto realized where his hand was placed at. In an instant, Naruto took his hand away from Tsunade's half-exposed breast. With that sudden movement, Naruto felt someone was behind him. Slowly, Naruto looked behind him and saw Shizune, who was gradually rousing up as she rubbed her eye, obviously sleepy.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun…" said Shizune with a yawn at the end.

"…G-good morning…" stuttered Naruto with flushed cheeks. He couldn't even look at both women after realizing the situation he was in. He was, after all, between two almost exposed beautiful women. Both of Shizune's and Tsunade's yukatas were slightly loosened which gave everyone in the room a clear view of their sexy assets, especially Tsunade's, hers was big.

Unknown to these three, Jiraiya was watching in front of them. He made known his presence when he threw his pillow to Naruto's face.

"Jiraiya, why did you do that?" asked Tsunade as she took off the pillow from Naruto's face.

"Hn, its better that way!" grunted Jiraiya, and soon, he left the room.

Tsunade wondered what had gotten Jiraiya that mad. She just shrugged the thought away and decided to nurse the sleeping Naruto.

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Later on, Naruto found himself lying on his futon, once again. As far as he can remember, he already woke up moments ago. The memory itself made Naruto shook his head several times with a blush on his face.

'_Maybe that was a dream…'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto shook his head once again until he heard the door slid open. He pretended that he was still asleep and waited for that person to leave. Though Naruto could hear several footsteps inside the room, he was sure that it was Ton-ton since the footsteps sounded more like of an animal's than of a human. His presumptions were proven correct when the said pet pig lounged at Naruto's face with a series of licking.

"Wha… stop it, Ton-ton!" begged Naruto as he stopped the pig from licking his face even further.

"Buu!" cooed Ton-ton.

The said pig didn't stop until Naruto sat up from his futon.

"Ha-ha… I said, stop, Ton-ton! I'm already awake so stop it..." said Naruto.

This time, Ton-ton did stop but there was something that caught her eyes. It was Tsunade's necklace. Although Ton-ton's a pig, she wasn't just any ordinary pig. She was an intelligent pig. She knew that, that necklace belonged to her Master. Without a second or two, Ton-ton bit the necklace and ran away from Naruto.

"HEY STOP! THAT'S MY NECKLACE YOU CRAZY PIG!" yelled Naruto as he immediately ran after Ton-ton.

Other occupants in the hotel could hear several screams at the lower level of the hotel. It mostly consisted of several profanities towards a crazy little pig.

Meanwhile…

"Was that Naruto-kun?" asked Shizune.

"Probably… Ton-ton must have woken Naruto up." said Tsunade with a chuckle.

Currently, both women were enjoying their bath at the onsen. They were lucky that they were the only occupants of the onsen as of the moment but it didn't last long when suddenly they heard the door slid open in a fast manner. After that, it was soon followed by a yell.

"STOP RUNNING, YOU CRAZY PIG!"

It was Naruto who came in running and yelling at Tsunade's pig. He hadn't realized just yet that he was in the onsen with a few people, namely, Shizune and Tsunade. It only registered to his mind when Ton-ton ran towards Tsunade's arms. When the information sunk even further, Naruto, who was beginning to feel an upcoming nosebleed, slowly stepped away. But on his second step, he slipped at the wet floor. The next thing he knew, he felt his head bumped onto something. Slowly, Naruto opened his eyes…

"Oh good, you're awake now…" Naruto heard someone say. He turned to see where he had heard that familiar soft voice. Surprised to say, Naruto was shocked to see Tsunade next to him. Aside from that, Tsunade was still clad in her towel.

"How are you feeling, Naruto-kun?" asked someone from behind.

Naruto turned, once again, this time he saw Shizune, who also was still wearing her towel. He blushed furiously when he realized that he was, once again, between these lovely women. He blushed even more when he found out that he was just not between them, but also, he was sitting between these lovely women in the onsen with just a towel covering his waist. His blush could possibly go to the highest point when he suddenly thought of something, which was…

'_When did I take off my clothes?'_ asked Naruto in his mind.

"Naruto-kun?" called Shizune. She was worried at the blonde teenager next to her since he hadn't given any reply.

"Oi, Naruto-kun…" called Tsunade, shaking the blonde in the process.

"Huh, what..?" said Naruto.

"You blacked out moments ago, Naruto-kun." said Shizune.

"I see…" said Naruto, and then paused. "Um, h-how d-did… you know… the clothes?" asked Naruto in shy manner. He could hear several chuckles coming from both women which caused him blush with steam coming out from both of his ears.

"You don't have to worry about that. Shizune and I will keep this as a secret, we're doctors after all." said Tsunade.

Naruto only did was to sigh. It's not like he had a choice. It was that stupid pig's fault in the first place. Speaking of pig, Naruto saw Ton-ton sailing on a wooden pail and making cute pig sounds as she sailed at the onsen.

"Naruto-kun." both Shizune and Tsunade called in chorus.

"What?"

"Do you want me to scrub your back?" once again, both women said in chorus. After hearing each others' statement, both women looked at each other at the same time.

Naruto couldn't reply at the statement, he just sweat-dropped at both women.

"Naruto-kun." they called again in chorus.

"Ah I can do it on my own." said Naruto as he stood up and went at the other corner of the onsen.

"**He-he-he… quite a ladies' man aren't you, Naruto-kun?"** interrupted Kyuubi.

"**Shut up, fur ball!"** retorted Naruto at the demon fox.

"Naruto-kun, we're going back now. Hurry up or else you won't be able to eat lunch." said Tsunade, making Naruto snap back to reality.

"Yea, I'll be done in a sec." With that said, Naruto poured the remaining water on his tanned body. He immediately headed to the men's changing room. From there, he was able to change into one of the hotel's yukata.

'_That should do it…' _said Naruto to no one in particular. He was currently brushing a few locks of his hair on both sides of his face with his fingers. He had been keeping it long from as far as he can remember. It was beginning to look similar with the Yondaime's and he liked it that way.

Once Naruto was done, he went to his and the rest of the group's room. At first, he saw everyone in the room. Both Shizune and Tsunade were still wearing their yukata. It was an obvious indication that both women went to the onsen. While Jiraiya, he was clad in his usual attire. Naruto noticed the look Jiraiya was giving him and he could tell that Jiraiya was irritated over something.

"Argh… what took you so long? Come on, let's go, I'm hungry!" said Jiraiya as he pulled Naruto out of the room. And soon, everybody followed the duo to the hotel's restaurants.

"Hey, stop dragging me, Ero-Sennin!" complained Naruto.

"You shouldn't complain. It's your fault anyways…" said Jiraiya, releasing Naruto.

"How did it become my fault, huh?" asked Naruto.

"Never mind." said Jiraiya.

Unknown to Naruto, Jiraiya had a tint of pink on his cheeks. He probably knew what happened in the onsen moments ago.

"Will you two stop bickering?" said Tsunade, interrupting both shinobis in the process.

"Buu…" cooed Ton-ton, obviously agreeing with her Master.

"See? Even Ton-ton says so." added Tsunade.

"Hn" said Jiraiya and Naruto at the same time.

After their squabbling in front of the hotel's restaurant, the group decided to enter the restaurant. It didn't take long before they were able to sit in one of the tables. Moments later, a waitress walked at their table.

"Can I take your order?" asked the waitress.

"I'll have 2 miso ramen, 2 beef ramen, and 3 seafood ramen." said Naruto.

"Please don't write that down." said Jiraiya.

"Eh?"

"Don't listen to him!" said Naruto.

"Um…"

"Hey, Waitress, didn't I tell you not to write this guy's order?" said Jiraiya.

"O-okay…" stuttered the waitress as she erased the previous order.

"Why did you do that?" asked the infuriated Naruto.

"Ayeka told me not to let you eat ramen during our trip." replied Jiraiya.

"What?-!" yelled Naruto. Deep inside, he was also yelling mostly about some crazy onna with a one heck of an attitude.

"Yup, she told me it's a form of training and I couldn't agree more." said Jiraiya. He could see that Naruto didn't like it, and so, he turned at the waitress once again and said. "We'll just order set A of your group's meal." added Jiraiya.

After jotting down the order, the waitress walked towards the kitchen. Once the waitress was gone, Tsunade started another conversation.

"Eh… so, Ayeka's back at Konoha?" said Tsunade.

"Yes, she is." said Jiraiya.

"Is she going to stay permanently?" asked Tsunade.

"I think so." said Jiraiya, glancing over at Naruto.

"This should be fun. I can't wait to get back at Konoha." said Tsunade with a grin.

Naruto, who was listening at the Sannins's discussion, couldn't help but to wonder how they knew Ayeka. Naruto knew that only Jiraiya know his former sensei, but now, even Tsunade looked like she also knows Ayeka.

"I hope you both don't mind me asking, how did you guys met Ayeka-sensei?" asked Naruto.

'_Sensei..? Ayeka must've not told Naruto-kun about herself yet…'_ thought both Sannins.

"How we met Ayeka? Hm… Let's see, it's quite a long story." said Jiraiya.

"But Naruto-kun, I think it would be wise to ask Ayeka herself?" said Tsunade with a smile.

"Fine… since, it's quite obvious that none of you would want to speak about It. I'll just ask her myself." said Naruto disappointedly.

"Don't feel so bad, Naruto-kun. Even I don't know whose Tsunade-sama is talking about." said Shizune as she eyed her Master.

"Buu-u!" cooed Ton-ton, telling everyone her point as well.

"I guess even Ton-ton feels the same towards her owner, huh?" said Naruto, patting Ton-ton's head which earned him a 'buu' from the pig.

Both Naruto and Shizune along with Ton-ton tried to pass the guilt towards Tsunade as they acted like both Sannins weren't there. Even Jiraiya was affected by it as well. Well, what can they do?

"Will you three stop it?-!" said Tsunade while the said three just looked at her. "Oh never mind…" added Tsunade.

Just then, their meal came. The restaurant's set-A meal course was something Chouji would definitely want. Generally, it consists of four huge servings of food. The first plate was filled with smoking grilled meat; the second plate was filled with steamed dimsum; the third plate was filled with huge servings of sushi, maki, and several rolls; while the fourth serving was four regular cups of rice.

"Whoa… see, Naruto-kun, isn't this much better than ramen?" said Jiraiya which earned him an 'hn' from Naruto. "Come on, eat, after this we'll be leaving for Konoha." added Jiraiya.

The said blonde just complied and grabbed his chopsticks. Reluctantly, he ate. He was still depressed since he hadn't eaten a single bowl of ramen ever since he and Jiraiya started with this trip. He just sighed at the thought.

Several hours went by and our favorite group started their merry way towards the main street of the village they were in. Since they were still inside the borders of Fire Country, travelling back to Konoha would only take several hours.

During their trip, Naruto couldn't help but to notice the glances his companion were giving him. The first person he caught glancing him was Jiraiya, he had an unexplainable look on his face. Whenever Naruto caught Jiraiya glancing at him, he would look away immediately, thinking that Naruto wouldn't catch that. The second person Naruto caught glancing at him was Tsunade, she had the same unexplainable look on her face similar to Jiraiya's but when Naruto asked what was wrong Tsunade would just reply 'nothing' and then staring away from the said blonde. But the third person, Shizune, her case was different. She would take glances then immediately look away. Even though it was nerve wrecking for Naruto, the said blonde just ignored the glances being given to him.

'_I wonder how's everybody back home…' _sighed Naruto.

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**A/N: **TBC…

**Disclaimer: **Naruto is not mine.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Dokushinsha  
by **_**eixirt**_

**Chapter 14  
****Reunions, Revelations, and Tribulations**

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In one humid afternoon in Konohagakure, the said village was currently busy with the repairs they've been doing for the past few weeks. Still, there were visible signs of destruction around the village of the leaf. After what had happened during the Chuunin selection exams, the ties between Sunagakure and Konohagakure had finally come to its settlement, and now, Sunagakure was helping the village of the leaf to stand once again.

Seeing that the relation between Sunagakure and Konohagakure will end in a positive resolution, some of the civilians and ninjas of the leaf hadn't forgotten the lost they've felt all those days ago. Thankfully, most of the villagers were in their right senses after hearing the news that it was the traitor, Orochimaru, who plotted against the hidden leaf. Though, Sarutobi wasn't pleased after the encounter between him and his former student. He felt like a useless trash after their encounter. He couldn't help but to recall the memory of him, letting Orochimaru escape way back before. He hated himself for that.

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Currently in Konohagakure, Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copy Nin, could be seen reading one of his orange books. Although he was trying to contain himself from the sudden excitement as read his book, he couldn't help but to let out a giggle. Unfortunately, for him, there were two kunoichis who strangled the said half-masked man to near death. Kakashi tried hard to save his precious book from these sadistic women he was currently with, namely, Anko and Ayeka.

Both said kunoichis were slowly starting to get the liking with each other since both women have a lot in common, for example, their playful, loud, brash, and rough behavior. Most of the time, Anko could be found hanging out with Ayeka more often these past few days. They could be found either hanging out at Ichiraku's or at one of Konoha's dango shops. Even though Anko enjoyed Ayeka's company, she couldn't help but to wonder about one of her best-friends, Kurenai. It was true; it's been three days since the said tokubetsu jounin hadn't heard nor seen her best-friend.

Meanwhile, as two of our favorite characters strangle Kakashi on the ground, two genin-level chakra signatures walked at their way. Both women looked and saw it was Hyuuga Hinata and Inuzuka Kiba.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei…" called Kiba with a sweat-drop behind his head.

"Yo, Kiba; is something the matter?" asked Kakashi, standing up from the ground.

"Well, Hinata and I were wondering if you've seen Kurenai-sensei around. She hasn't showed up in any of our team-meetings for quite some time now…" said Kiba. After hearing those words, all three adults looked at each other with curious looks on their eyes. They just looked back at the genins in front of them as if there was nothing wrong.

"She must have forgotten to tell you guys that, she was going on a mission outside Konoha." said Ayeka. She hoped that both genins will eventually believe her lie.

"Mission..? Oh that mission! I forgot that I was the one who was supposed to tell you both, sorry guys." added Kakashi.

"Ah… I guess we'll just go home for today… let's go, Hinata. Thank you for the info, Kakashi-sensei." said Kiba as he and Hinata bowed in front of their seniors. But before they could walk any further, Ayeka called out for them.

"Wait!" said Ayeka. Both genins stopped then looked back at the said woman. "Wait for us at Ichiraku's, we'll um… I well… I just feel like giving you guys a treat." said Ayeka while in the inside she let out a deep and heavy sigh.

This time, Hinata and Kiba were staring at Ayeka with prying eyes. They've heard that this woman in front of them was once an instructor of their team-mate, Naruto. Aside from that information, that's the only thing that they both know.

"Okay, we'll go now…" said Kiba, walking away with Hinata behind.

Once Hinata and Kiba were far enough, Anko turned to the other woman, asking. "Are you planning something, Ayeka-chan?"

"Kind of…" said Ayeka with a giggle that turned to a long laugh.

Both ninjas watched the laughing woman with newly formed sweat-drops at the back of their heads. Never in dull moment since this woman came in Konoha as though they thought.

"So, what are you planning?" asked Anko.

"We're going to Yuuhi-san's place." said Ayeka, grinning like a mad scientist.

"WHAT?-!" yelled Anko. Obviously, she didn't expect that from the other woman. She just looked at Ayeka with wide eyes; even Kakashi looked shocked at this.

"D-did I just hear you correctly, we're going to Kurenai-chan's place?" asked the bewildered Anko.

"Yes, you are perfectly correct!" answered Ayeka with, once again, a smile on her face.

"I thought so…" stammered Anko as she followed Ayeka with Kakashi in tow.

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Several minutes passed by and Anko, Ayeka, and Kakashi arrived in front of Kurenai's living quarters.

"Kurenai, it's me Anko… open the door!" said Anko as she knocked at the Kurenai's door several times. "No answer… maybe, she's out… what do we do now?" asked Anko.

"No. She's inside, I can tell." insisted Ayeka.

"Are you sure?!" asked Anko, but when her eyes caught sight of Ayeka's eyes, there was a big difference. Ayeka's usual red eyes changed into something else… the iris, pupil, and everything they all changed into a single color which was _**black**_.

"Anko…" called Ayeka as she noticed the stare Anko was giving to her. "…I forgot this is the first time that you've seen it, huh?" said Ayeka, still, her bloodline activated.

"Whoa… I've never seen anything like it… I can't even tell where you're looking at." said Anko.

"Can you just open the door and stop looking at my eyes?" said Ayeka, then, turned to Kakashi. "What are you looking at?" asked Ayeka.

"Nothing-nothing…" said the Copy-Nin, waving his hands in defense. While inside his mind, he couldn't help but to stare even more. _'That's the Jagan… But, it's way different from Naruto-kun's. Could it be that it also has different stages just like the Sharingan?'_ thought Kakashi.

"We have a problem, I can't open the door with my pin." said Anko.

"Let me…" said Ayeka. She held her hand, touching the doorknob. Soon, everybody could see sparks of electricity coming from between Ayeka's hand and the doorknob. "There, open." said Ayeka as she opened the said door as if it wasn't locked in the first place.

"Ho-how did you do that?" asked Anko.

"Secret." said Ayeka with a wink while her Jagan deactivated.

"HN, fine, don't tell. Anyway, now that we're inside, what's next? She's obviously not home." said Anko as she walked through the doorway. The first thing she noticed was several unread letters scattered at the floor, obviously left behind for quite some time. Anko picked the scattered letters and placed them on one of Kurenai's table. "What happened here? It's like, she hasn't been home for a while now." said Anko.

"She is here, see?" said Ayeka as she opened one of Kurenai's doors which was Kurenai's room. Though, she only let Anko walk inside which made Kakashi wonder what in the world Ayeka was up to. "Wait for us outside, Hatake-san." said Ayeka.

Once Anko saw the inside of the said room, she immediately walked in. "Oh my God, Kurenai, what happened to you?!" asked Anko in panic.

Kurenai didn't give any reply; she just lay there on her bed, naked. Only her blanket gave her warmth, at the same time, covered her body.

"Kurenai, wake up!" said Anko, shaking her sleeping friend.

Moments later, Kurenai stirred from her sleep. The first thing she saw was Anko's worried face. "What are you…" said Kurenai but stopped when Anko grabbed her for a hug. "Anko, what are you doing?" asked the confused Kurenai.

"Don't ask that! More importantly, what happened to you?" asked Anko, pulling away from Kurenai.

"Sleeping." answered Kurenai in a 'matter-of-fact' way.

"But-but… you… I mean, you're…"

"Naked." said Ayeka, finishing Anko's statement.

"Exactly!" said Anko.

"Anko, could you wait with Hatake-san outside? I need to talk to Yuuhi-san, privately." said Ayeka.

"But…"

"Don't worry…" said Ayeka with a wink.

Reluctantly, Anko complied. She walked out of the room, still wondering what could have happened to Kurenai. She knew that Kurenai was lying a while ago, still, why? She was one of her best-friends, right? That made Anko even more anxious about the matter.

Once Ayeka knew that Anko was gone, she turned and faced Kurenai with an expressionless look on her face. It made Kurenai not to look at the other woman's face.

"Did my nephew confessed his feelings to you?" asked Ayeka.

"…"

"He did, didn't he?" said Ayeka as she sat at the edge of Kurenai's bed.

"…" still, no answer. Kurenai held her blanket over her chest as she continued to listen to Ayeka's words. She couldn't help but to remember the day Naruto told his bottled feelings to her. It was also that day that Kurenai let Naruto walk away. Those memories made her held on her blanket tightly.

Noticing Kurenai's uneasiness, Ayeka decided to continue on, knowing that she might hurt Kurenai in the process.

"So, what did you do after that?" asked Ayeka, looking at the woman in front of her. She could tell that Kurenai was having an emotional battle inside her heart as the said woman continued to stare at nothingness and not at her. Ayeka just sighed at that.

"Nothing." whispered Kurenai.

"Huh?" asked Ayeka.

"I said, I did nothing, I just let him walk out from the door. I didn't know what to do back then." said Kurenai.

"If you knew what to do, what could you have possibly done back then?" asked Ayeka.

"…"

"Kurenai, look at me..." said Ayeka to the other woman. "You may be confused right now, but that doesn't change the fact that you have feelings for Naruto-kun. It may be in a romantic sense or the other but I know that only you can be able to sort that out. Naruto-kun already did his part, now it's your turn. Don't keep him waiting, okay Kurenai?" said Ayeka.

"Hai…" said Kurenai as she looked back at Ayeka with a smile on her face.

"Get change, we're going to Ichiraku's." said Ayeka.

"Huh, but, why?" asked Kurenai.

"Don't ask, just follow me okay and hurry up. Anko and Hatake-san are waiting outside so hurry up." said Ayeka, pulling the blanket away from Kurenai which in turn made Kurenai to pull back the blanket to her body.

"Fine, just give me a minute okay!" said Kurenai as she walked towards her closet.

"Okay. I'll be waiting outside then." said Ayeka.

Meanwhile, back with Anko and Kakashi, both ninjas were mostly talking about what had happened inside Kurenai's house. Anko only left the part where she saw Kurenai's state of undress. They were about to continue but Ayeka walked out from the door with a smile on her face.

"What happened? Is Kurenai-chan alright? Hey, stop smiling and answer me God damnit!" said Anko.

"We just talked, okay. And, Kurenai is alright. She'll come with us at Ichiraku's." said Ayeka.

"Oh, I see… Wait! Before, you used to call her Yuuhi-san and now you just called her Kurenai. Surely enough, something did happen." said Anko.

"That's between me and Ayeka, Anko."

Everybody turned and saw Kurenai, standing behind them, wearing her usual jounin uniform.

"Oh come on, tell me…" said Anko.

"It's a secret." said Kurenai.

"Come on, Kurenai's students are waiting for us, we better hurry up." said Ayeka.

"What do you mean 'us'? You're the one who told those two that you're going to treat them for lunch." said Anko; obviously she didn't want to spend her money.

"Yes-yes, I know. Geez, you're so stingy." said Ayeka which earned her a grunt from Anko and a chuckle from Kurenai. While Kakashi, well, he's back from reading his little orange book.

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Minutes later, Anko, Ayeka, Kakashi, and Kurenai arrived outside the Ichiraku's Ramen House (It's not your average ramen house anymore; it's an upgraded Ichiraku Ramen House with tables and seats much more like a real restaurant now, okay?). Outside the said noodle house were Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Maito Gai, and Sarutobi Asuma. Apparently, both genins waited for Ayeka outside the noodle house.

"Sensei, you're back!" said both genins as they walked in front of their jounin instructor.

"..Back? Ah, well, yea I'm back." said Kurenai. She caught the look on Ayeka's face that meant 'just go on with it' --- or --- 'I'll explain later' kind-of-look.

"Why won't you guys order your food, go on, it's my treat, remember?" said Ayeka, letting the both genins inside.

"Long time, no see, Kurenai." said Asuma.

"Uh, yea, thanks…" said Kurenai.

"Hey, guys! Let's go and eat! My treat!" yelled Ayeka, letting her presence known to everybody.

"YOSH… free lunch, you're the best, Ayeka!" said Anko as she gave Ayeka a hug over the shoulders.

"Are we included?" asked Kakashi, pointing to everybody including himself.

"Yes, all of you…" replied Ayeka, trying to balance herself.

"I don't mean to pry, but, why are you suddenly treating us for lunch?" asked Kurenai.

"Let me guess, someone asked you on a date, right? That's probably the reason." teased Anko as she released Ayeka from her hug.

"WRONG!?" yelled Ayeka with both of her hands placed on her waist. "Sheesh… do I really got to have a reason why I'm treating you guys for lunch?" asked Ayeka.

"Yes, you do. Now, tell us the reason." inquired Anko.

Ayeka only sighed and answered. "Well, I just thought that something great will happen today."

"That's all?!" said Anko.

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Outside Konoha's main gate, four people walked along near the entrance to the said village. Seeing that they are ninjas of the hidden leaf, the Chuunins, who were guarding the main gate, let these four people in.

"I swear those Chuunins were looking at me…" said Tsunade.

"Who wouldn't be?" said Naruto, without looking at the said woman next to him.

"Aww… don't be jealous…" teased Tsunade as she tried to tickle Naruto with her index finger. "Now that I'm Hokage, I promise I'll spare some of my time with you." teased Tsunade even more.

"ACK..! Who said that I'm jealous and will you stop tickling me, you crazy old hag!?" shouted Naruto. Though, his outburst only made Tsunade to tickle him even more. And now, even Shizune joined in the fun.

"Will you both stop it?!" shouted Jiraiya.

Miraculously, both women did stop.

"Naruto, let's go." said Jiraiya, carrying the said blonde on his shoulder and suddenly running away from both women.

"Ero-Sennin, I know that you've just saved me a while ago, but, where the heck are you taking me?!" shouted Naruto.

"Where else, of course, I'm taking you to that ramen house. Those two would probably think that I'll be taking you to Sarutobi-sensei first." said Jiraiya as he jumped from roof to roof away from Tsunade and Shizune.

Apparently both kunoichis were only a few meters away from Jiraiya. They both saw Jiraiya enter a familiar ramen house in Tsunade's opinion.

Meanwhile, inside the said ramen house…

Jiraiya walked in with Naruto whose, still, on Jiraiya's shoulder. The first person Jiraiya was trying to find was the shop owner, Ichiraku Teuchi. But when he saw Ayeka, Jiraiya had a much better idea.

Immediately, he walked in front of the said woman, "AYEKA..!" shouted Jiraiya in panic.

Ayeka stared at Jiraiya for a brief moment. Then, after noticing her old student, Naruto, placed on Jiraiya's shoulder, she tried to calm herself. "What, exactly, are you doing, you Baka-Ecchi?-!" asked Ayeka, pointing at the state Naruto was in.

"Baka-Ecchi..?" repeated Naruto in a questioning manner while in the inside… _'And I thought the nickname Ero-Sennin was good, but now, Baka-Ecchi is even crueler.'_

Pushing aside that preposterous pet-name, Jiraiya restrained himself. "Enough with that..! Ayeka, I want you to hide me and Naruto in one of your genjutsus, quickly!" said the white-haired man.

Ayeka sighed. She knew that this Gama Sannin was just running away from several women, probably, getting himself caught from peeping at the women's side of the hot springs. So, once again, she sighed at the thought. "Give me one good reason why I should hide you and Naruto-kun in a genjutsu?" asked Ayeka. She waited for Jiraiya's answer but all of a sudden she saw a familiar face enter the ramen house.

"Ts-Tsu-Tsunade..!" stammered Ayeka, which ended in a yell.

"Hey, long time no see, Ayeka!" greeted Tsunade. Next to the blonde woman was her apprentice, Shizune, who was carrying a buu~ing Ton-ton.

All the while, when Naruto was watching from his position, he took notice the grin on Tsunade's face and the twitch on Ayeka's forehead. "Hey, Ero-Sennin, put me down." said Naruto as he continue to observe both women.

Meanwhile, back with Jiraiya; the said Sannin silently moved next to Shizune whispering something to the said medic.

"Shizune, Let's step back, we wouldn't want to get involved between those two." whispered Jiraiya.

As a result, both ninjas did step back away from Ayeka, Tsunade, and Naruto, who's, apparently, in the middle of both women.

"Say… Naruto-kun, how come you and Jiraiya were with Tsunade?" asked Ayeka in a polite yet with a hint of malice in her voice.

"Well…" Naruto tried to speak but found it rather difficult because of the glare Ayeka was giving him.

"You told me… you and that Baka-Ecchi were going in a training trip but now this…" yelled Ayeka, at the same time pointing at Tsunade.

"What's the matter, Ayeka?" asked Tsunade. She had this unnerving grin on her face and to make matters worse she moved close to Naruto's ear, hugging him in the process. Tsunade knew that with this she was able to anger Ayeka and it was for a good cause too.

"What's the matter, _Aya-chan_?" Tsunade repeated though this time she used the old nickname Tsunade used to call Ayeka.

"…You…" It only started with a few incomprehensible words but suddenly, "TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF NARUTO-KUN!" Ayeka shouted in a very uncharacteristically manner. She thought that with her outburst Tsunade would let Naruto go, but still, the said Slug Sannin hadn't even moved. The only thing that changed was the grin on Tsunade's face. Unlike before, it grew even more preposterously absurd.

"Aside from being one of his instructors, give me one good reason why I should let go of Naruto-kun." said Tsunade.

"…"

Meanwhile, there were a few people inside the food house who were having the same thoughts running inside their mind which was… _'Is Ayeka going to tell – It- in front of Naruto-kun?'_

"So, what is it going to be, Aya-chan?" asked Tsunade.

However, Ayeka was trying to calm herself. She'd been telling herself to just let the truth slip so that Naruto will finally know the truth between him and her. While the other part of her was afraid to tell the truth, or to be exact, the other part of her was afraid to feel rejected by her own nephew.

'_**What is wrong with you? Just tell that you're Naruto-kun's aunt!'**_said the optimistic side of Ayeka.

'_I can't'_

'_**What are you talking about? Of course you can do it!'**_

'_**No don't, Ayeka! Think of Naruto-kun's reaction!'**_ this time, it was the pessimistic side who spoke.

'_**Don't listen to that pessimist! You should know Naruto-kun by now, he may be like that but still he's mature enough to understand you… just do it!'**_

'…'

Everybody was definitely anticipating something between these women. Slowly, they all saw Ayeka walking towards Tsunade and Naruto.

"I thought you already fell asleep back there…" said Tsunade in a joking manner.

"I was only waiting for you to let go of my _nephew_, Tsunade-_Sensei_." said Ayeka, then turned to Naruto. "I know I have a lot of explaining to do… still, I want you to understand why I couldn't tell you in the first place… so, please… please don't hate me." Ayeka couldn't stop her tears from falling.

"Geez… will you stop crying?!" said Naruto.

Ayeka did stop. She even stared at Naruto, giving him the 'what did you just say?' kind of look.

"First of all, why the heck will I hate you," pointing at Ayeka in a comical manner. "I should be happy to know that I still got a relative." Naruto paused for a while then suddenly his face lit up in a bright shade of red. "Um, uh… I-I was wondering, how are you related to me?" asked Naruto in an awkwardly shy manner.

Ayeka, even everybody inside the ramen house, smiled at Naruto. "Seeing that I am your aunt, your mother is my older sister." Naruto could only nod after hearing this. "Well, are there any more questions?" asked Ayeka.

"Awhile ago, you called 'baa-chan' as 'Tsunade-Sensei', were you really her student or something?" asked Naruto.

"The Slug, the Snake, and the Toad became one of my instructors before." answered Ayeka. She didn't know that there were plenty of people listening to their conversation.

"Even that snake-bastard became your instructor?" a voice suddenly interrupted from the side. It was Anko.

"Yea, even him…" replied Ayeka.

Anko looked at Ayeka for a moment then all of a sudden she laughed. "No wonder we get along so well… haha..!"

'_Yea, no wonder…'_ thought Naruto out loud.

"Did you say something, Naruto-kun?" asked Ayeka, once again, with her polite yet malicious smile on her face.

Naruto, however, shook his head in response. He knew that he couldn't overpower his Aunt in whatever he tried to do.

"I thought you said something…" She paused for a while to let out a chuckle. Then suddenly Ayeka said. "So, Naruto-kun, is there a particular girl that you like to be your girlfriend?"

"#%$~!" After hearing what Ayeka had said moments ago, Naruto suddenly spew out whatever thing or food inside his mouth. He even coughed and panted several times after he had spew out the food awhile ago.

"Your expression is really ~~ really cute Naruto-kun! Haha~" teased Ayeka with a grin on her face. Her grin got even bigger when she noticed the flustered look on both Kurenai's and Naruto's faces. _'Hee ~ hee… this is so much fun! More teasing for me hahaha!-!' _said Ayeka to herself.

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**Please Read**

I'm sorry if update *really* slow, but please, try to understand that I, too, have one-heck-of-a-busy-schedule in my life. I have a few reasons for that. Reason number one, I started college in an early age. Reason number two, I'm currently one of the major officers of our club/school organization. Reason number three, I'm writing *four* stories at the same time which are "The Dokushinsha" (a Naruto fan-fiction), "Crossroads" (a Naruto fan-fiction again), "Wonderful Life" (a Naruto fan-fiction again as well, and YES, Wonderful Life is back!), and then "My Ghost Sweeper Assistant" (a Ghost Sweeper Mikami fan-fiction). Those are the main reasons why I update in a slow rate. If only I was God, I can simply write a chapter or two in a day. Maybe I should train myself to gain God-like speed ha-ha-ha… *sweat-drops* oh well… If you guys have any questions, feel free to ask.

lindon2, c im am a dragon, geetac, ninjamensuperhero, Bahumat knight, I-Like-Chicken-More-Than-You, davethedark, huskerfan, Holyriot, Tenshifromabove, mysteryman2000, god of all:

Thanks for reading the story. I really appreciate the review ^^ and it may seem overused but thanks again.

Roy-taichou:

Thanks for reading, anyway, sorry to disappoint you if I write that slow… I wrote the main reasons as to why I update that slow (please read the upper portion). If you have other problems contact me if you want.

ZaffyWuffyBuffy:

Thanks for loving and reading the story. I also agree that Naruto-kun really do deserve that love~ (^^) he's just sooo~ adorable and kawaii~~… Anyway, thanks again for reading.

Kingkakashi:

I really appreciate what you wrote (err… typed) at your review. Especially about the Tsunade part, well, I might spoil something here, but as long as the story goes, Tsunade will definitely take the role of a Mother figure for Naruto-kun. I won't tell what kind so I won't get to spoil something about the story (^^).

NARUHAREM FOREVA:

"hehehe, denial is just one of the many stages of love :" YEA~! I so totally agree with that! Though, sometimes I think that it's the first stage or maybe the second (now I'm confused). Oh well, its love, right? So, it's expected to have a lot of twist and turns just like the story.

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**Disclaimer**

Naruto is not mine.


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